Voluntary Obligation
by Hairann
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. Full summary inside. Now Complete!
1. Immobile

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title:Immobile  
Author: Hairann

Theme:Shield  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating:T

Warnings:Two swear words.  
Word Count:2210

Summary:Priestess and demon face off in a clearing.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts. Won first place for the one-shot contest: Shield

* * *

Kagome had just returned to the Feudal era after her weekend stay back home with her family, and as Inuyasha wasn't expecting her for another hour or so, she began heading back toward the village on her own instead of meeting him by the well as she usually did. Knowing it was only a short walk from her portal into this time to the village, Kagome wasn't worried about meeting any danger along the way and, like she always did, she ignored his warning about wandering around by herself.

She began making her way away from the well, knowing the unseen path by heart well enough that she no longer had to pay attention to where she was going to know that she would end up at the edge of the village. But just as she went to turn into the trees, the village laying straight ahead passed them, she could hear a woman's voice coming from her left and turned to stare in the direction confused. Usually the only girl besides herself to come out this way was Sango, and she knew that it was not Sango's voice she heard.

Worried that the girl in question might either be in trouble or that the secret of the well was danger of becoming known, Kagome went against the small voice in the back of her mind reminding her that curiosity killed the cat and began heading in the direction the voice was coming from. Pushing through a dense thicket of underbrush, Kagome peered into a small clearing and found a sight that she knew could only end badly.

One one side of the clearing stood a woman, maybe a few years older than herself, dressed in priestess garments, bow and arrow aimed and ready. Opposite of her, she found Sesshoumaru standing there silently in all of his regal glory, a single eyebrow raised at the girl his only outward sign that he even saw her. Deciding it would be best to break them up before the poor girl lost her life, Kagome pushed herself the rest of the way into the clearing.

Stumbling slightly, she barely managed to catch herself before falling flat on her face, and turned back to glare at the branch that had caused the mishap by clinging to her clothing. Properly reprimanding said branch, she turned back to find the priestess eying her cautiously while Sesshoumaru remained unmoved. "I'd recommend you leave quickly before he decides you are worth his time to kill. I can tell you from personal experience, the only reason he didn't slaughter you the moment he saw you was because he considers you to not be a threat."

The girl continued to eye her silently for a few tense moments before apparently deciding she herself was not a threat and turned her full attention back to the demon lord. "Leave while you can, little girl. I can not be responsible for your safety during the battle that will ensue," she told Kagome through gritted teeth watching Sesshoumaru for any indications he was about to strike.

"My safety? My safety isn't the issue here as I am not the one pointing a loaded arrow at him. Do you have any idea who that is?" Kagome demanded only to be met with a blank stare from the girl. "Sesshoumaru? Lord of the West? Eldest son of the late Inu Taishou? The killing perfection? Doesn't any of this mean something to you?" Again she was met by a blank stare. "Have you been living under a rock somewhere?

"Let me put it this way, you are currently facing off against one of, if not the, most powerful demons alive today. If he deemed you worthy of killing, you would be squished between the pads of his fingers before you could even blink an eye. And while I can sense a good deal of strength in your aura, I can assure you, you do not have the power it would take to stop him before your life was forfeit. So far he hasn't decided to kill you, since you are very much still alive, but that won't last long. He is very easily annoyed," she warned the priestess hoping that her survival instincts were stronger that her sense of pride.

Her words of warning went unheeded as she pulled the bow string taunt and began to aim her arrow directly at his chest, as it was, she had been pointed slightly away from any vital organ when Kagome had first arrived. "Look lady, if our entire group including his half-brother Inuyasha, a monk, a demon slayer and myself, a decently strong if not untrained priestess, could not stop him, you stand no chance of doing so. Listen to me very carefully, you do not have the slightest hope of defeating him and attacking him would only be suicide," Kagome continued to warn her, growing even more annoyed by every passing moment that no one ever listened to what she said.

"Inuyasha?" the priestess whispered to herself as she stole a quick glance at Kagome, wondering if she had indeed hear the girl correctly. "Inuyasha the half-demon of this forest? Was he not pinned to a tree by a priestess some 50 years passed?" she inquired speaking directly to her this time.

"Yeah, I released him from the tree a few years ago. He's my best friend, why?" Kagome questioned, not liking the tone the girl had taken with her. Seeing the sneer the priestess sent her, Kagome mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of insults at befriending a demon she usually received when strangers learned a priestess traveled with demons. The priestess's next action, however, she was unprepared for.

"And you dare call yourself a priestess? Vile demon's whore!" the priestess screamed as she turned her bow and released the arrow, having aimed it directly at Kagome's heart. Unused to having priestesses attacking her, other than Kikyou of course, Kagome stood in shock at her actions, unable to respond or jump out of the way of the incoming arrow. Without realizing it, her eyes closed, her mind refusing to watch her last moments in life, as she waited for the pain to arrive.

The seconds ticked by, each feeling like an eternity had passed, before she realized the pain she had been waiting for never came and slowly she opened her eyes. Seeing Sesshoumaru slumped over onto on knee, hand reaching toward himself, just shy of grasping the arrow that had pierced through his chest. "You shielded me," she whispered in awe. She continued to stare at him in shock, waiting for him to remove the arrow, but he never moved. Confused, Kagome glanced up at the priestess for an explanation but found her notching another arrow.

Dread coursed through her veins as Kagome's feet began to move of the own accord. She threw herself onto Sesshoumaru's stiffened shoulders, her fear causing her powers to flow from her without her knowledge, surrounding the two of them in a pink shield. Not a moment after the circle had been complete around them, another arrow bounced harmlessly off of its exterior. Unable to think of anything else to do, Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, "Inuyasha!"

She was certain the half-demon would be heading to the well by now to retrieve her, and she was confident that he would be able to hear her. Sure enough, just as the next arrow 'pinged' off of her shield, the half-demon broke through the tree line, glancing between the priestess and Kagome in confusion. "Take away her bow, Inuyasha!" she instructed as she pinned him with her terror filled eyes.

Hearing the desperation in Kagome's voice, Inuyasha didn't stop to wonder why a priestess was attacking Kagome, why she was huddled together with his hated half-brother or how she had managed to put up a barrier when all of her attempts had failed before, but jumped into action the moment the words had left her mouth. A bit off balance at the new arrival, the priestess was unable to prevent him from taking her bow, its arrow falling harmlessly to the ground at her feet.

Pinning the priestess with a glare, knowing even if he didn't understand what was going on, he did know that she had attacked his friend, Inuyasha snapped the bow over his knee like a twig and threw the useless weapon at her feet. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Inuyasha stood imposingly next to her, almost daring her to try something foolish. Her power almost completely drained from holding such a large shield around them, Kagome clasped weakly onto Sesshoumaru's unmoving back, causing the barrier to dissipate around them.

"Leave, you pathetic excuse for a priestess. Leave before he recovers and decides to kill you as I will not intervene this time. I know Sesshoumaru did not do anything to you, as you would have been dead already if he had, which means you attacked him unprovoked. And if that wasn't bad enough, you dare turn your arrows on another priestess? An unarmed one at that.

"You think that I am the vile one? I would never attempt to take another human's life no matter whom they kept as company. Understand this, just as not all humans are good, not all demons are evil and taking their life for no other reason than the fact that they are a demon, makes you evil. A murderer. I would much rather keep the company of demons any day over people like you. You make me sick. Now get out of this forest.

"Your penitence for your abominable actions is being left unarmed. Taste what it is like to be on the other side of that bow and maybe, if you live long enough, you will understand that it is people like you that are the evil in this world," Kagome spat at her as she stood shakily, partly from weakness and partly from anger, pinning her with the most disgusted glare she could imagine. She watched as the priestess stole glances at each of them around the clearing, seemingly trying to figure her chances if she chose to fight them.

Apparently deciding against it, she sent Kagome one last sneer before she turned and began walking away from them. Her sense of honor rising to the surface, unable to allow herself to let the girl go uninhibited without any aid whatsoever, Kagome called after her, "Stick to the water as much as you can. It will help hide your presence and make it harder for him to track your scent if he decides to hunt you." The priestess glanced over her shoulder at her with a confused expression, pausing for a moment.

"What? He is a dog demon," Kagome explained with a shrug, watching as the priestess turned back around and continued on. Soon enough she had disappeared into the forest and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she dropped to her knees next to Sesshoumaru. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her now waning, Kagome found that she no longer had the strength to stand on her own two feet. Hearing Inuyasha begin making his way over to her, she glanced up tiredly and inquired, "Why isn't he moving? I know he's still alive, but he's frozen."

"It's a binding arrow, like the one you pulled from me. Come on, we need to get you back to the village," Inuyasha told her as he reached down to pick her up.

"What about him?" she questioned as she raised her hands to him, looking forward to the comfort his arms would provide her, just as they always had.

"Leave him, serves the bastard right and we're better off this way," he told her only to pause in his actions when Kagome gave him a horrified look.

"Inuyasha he took that arrow for me. I'm only alive right now because of him, we can't just leave him like this. I owe him that much at least," she insisted as she crossed her arms in front of her chest in protest.

"You don't owe him anything Kagome, consider this payback for all the times he tried to kill you. If anything, he still owes you, just don't hold your breath. Now let's go, the others are waiting for you back at the village," Inuyasha said as he once again began reaching for her, only to have his hands brushed away.

"I'm not leaving him here like this, Inuyasha. You can go back to the village by yourself if you want, but I'm not leaving this clearing until I release him from the binding arrow. It's the least I can do after he took an arrow for me, having attempted to kill me before or not."

"Find stay here, see if I care. Just don't expect me to come running to your rescue when he decides to kill you when he wakes up in a grumpy mood," Inuyasha warned her with a huff as he turned his back and took off running toward the village, leaving Kagome to sit there alone in the clearing save for the immobile demon lord.


	2. Self Inflicted

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Self Inflicted  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Popularity  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: One swear word, self inflicted pain (sort of).  
Word Count: 2852

Summary: Kagome attempts to keep her promise, no matter the consequences.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts. Won second place for the one-shot contest: popularity.

* * *

Kagome stared at the silent demon lord from across the camp fire as he sat unmoving and had she not known any better, she would think he was not breathing as well. It had been hours since Inuyasha had left the clearing and she was sticking to her promise, to not leave until she had set him free. The only problem was that every time she reached for the binding arrow, it would burn her hands forcing her to pull them away once again.

Kagome glanced down at the burns covering her palms, noticing that some of the older, deeper ones had already begun to scab over. Her darkened skin reminded her of the logs that crackled in the fire, crevasses burned deep within them, heat radiating from within them. That is what her hands looked and felt like to her, still it did not stop her from continuously trying to release him.

Kagome pushed the pain to the back of her mind, turning to the silent demon lord once again. "I will find a way, Sesshoumaru, I will free you. I don't know if you can even hear me in there, but if you can, you have my word. Eventually I will set you free," she swore as she moved over to kneel before him, looking straight into his unseeing golden eyes. She still was not sure why they remained open, Inuyasha's had been closed when she found him pinned to the God Tree that fateful day, and his unblinking eyes had both unnerved her and gave her a sense of hope.

She felt as if he was constantly watching her every move, disapproving of either her attempts to help him or the fact that she continued to fail, perhaps it was both. But at the same time, his golden eyes seemed to watch over her, pleading with her to release him and to not give up. Moreover, they seem to speak of his strength, being able to resist some of the binding's magic where Inuyasha had been unable to. And if she had been able to release him when Inuyasha had fallen completely under its spell, she believed she would be able to do the same when its victim was able to fight.

Holding his unseeing gaze with her own, Kagome drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly as her hand reached out and she wrapped her sore fingers around the shaft of the arrow. Bright pink power shot up from it like bolts of lightning, causing her to scream out in pain as new burns appeared on top of the older ones, making her feel as though she had grabbed a pan out of the fire with no protection. But even still, she refused to let go, refused to close her eyes to the pain and held his golden gaze even as the tears began to pool in her eyes, blurring her vision.

Using every last ounce of strength she could muster, she tighten her grip on the shaft and pulled on it as hard as she could. Sparks began flying up from where her skin came in contact with the purifying power, and her throat soon became raw from the constant scream that poured from her lips. But the arrow remained unmoved, unyielding, sapping from her, her energy until she could no longer hold herself up right. As unconsciousness overtook her, Kagome's hold on the arrow went slack and with nothing to hold her up, she fell back to the ground in a heap, her scream dying out as it echoed its last broken sob around the clearing.

* * *

Inuyasha stepped out of the shadows, staring down at the unconscious girl with sadness as he shook his head at what she was willing to suffer, all for the sake of saving an enemy, an enemy that had tried to kill her on many occasions. He knew not if it was her bleeding heart or her own stupidity that caused her to go to such great lengths, nor could he decide if he should be impressed or appalled by her actions, he only knew that it was simply another piece of the complicated puzzle that made Kagome who she was.

Quietly making his way over to her unconscious form, Inuyasha gently lifted her into his arms, walking over to the other side of the campfire where her yellow backpack lay. Carefully sitting down, making sure not to shake her, he rummaged through her bag until he found her first aid kit, pulling it out with one hand as the other held her in his lap. Repositioning her so she was sitting, facing away from him, he set to applying burn ointment the burns before softly wrapping them in white gauze, flinching each time his touch caused her to moan in pain.

"Almost done, Kagome," he assured her in a quiet whisper as he fastened off his wrapping and placed her hands into her lap as gently as he could manage from his position. Repositioning her once again, so she was laying across his legs, Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her back and held her to his chest. "When are you going to stop hurting yourself, Kagome? It isn't worth the pain you are inflicting on yourself. He isn't worth any pain to you. I know you want to repay him for what he did, but it's time you face the truth.

"You are not meant to release him, if you were than you would have been able to already. You can not save everyone Kagome, some times no matter how much you try, you will still fail. You need to give up and return to the village, I will make sure he is placed somewhere safe, but I can no longer watch you putting yourself through this for a lost cause. I feel like I am failing you each time you fail to pull the arrow from his chest, it is as if you are thrusting one into my own. You are in pain, screaming in agony and I am unable to save you.

"Let me save you, Kagome, come home with me. Don't force me to listen to your painful screams throughout the night, knowing I can not prevent them because you are doing them to yourself, is killing me. They echo and haunt me within my dreams until the point where I awake and find the screaming is no longer yours, but my own. Please, Kagome, please stop this before you end up killing yourself, all this stress and pain and the wounds you are inflicting on yourself can not be good for your body. You are human and humans are frail, you will not be able to sustain this for much longer. I beg you, stop this before it is too late."

"You're wrong, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered in a hoarse, raw voice, having regained consciousness some time while he was speaking. "I do not believe I am not meant to release him. Just as I was meant to release you as you had things you were meant to do, so I am supposed to release him. He has people depending on him to protect them, just as you protect us. I can not accept that he is meant to remain this way and I will set him free, some how, some way. I do not wish to cause myself or you any pain, Inuyasha, but the pain I would feel abandoning him would hurt me far worse than these burns ever could.

"I don't expect you to understand, I don't really understand it myself, but I know that this is something that I must do. If you wouldn't mind helping me to move him, we can go further away from the village so you won't hear me, but I can not leave him until I have finished this. I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she whispered as her eyes fell close and he could soon hear her soft snores singling she had fallen asleep. Sighing, Inuyasha glanced down at the woman in his arms, wishing he could just drag her away while she slept, but he knew she would never forget him. Nor would he forgive himself if he allowed her out of his range just to keep nightmares at bay.

Silently gazing down on her sleeping form, Inuyasha watched her throughout the night, soothing her with feather like caresses when she began to whimper from the pain as she slept. Not long before dawn, he had placed he within her sleeping bag, and after making sure the fire would not go out on her, he made his way back to the village with a heavy heart.

* * *

"Wow, I don't remember this clearing ever being so popular," Kagome joked half-heartily as she opened her eyes and found two large, yellow ones glaring back at her. Knowing who it was, and not seeing him as a threat, Kagome decided to ignore him and rolled over to catch a few more minutes of much needed sleep. Her body still ached from the strain of the night before and her hands throbbed so much, they were beginning to turn numb from the pain.

"Wench, what did you do to Lord Sesshoumaru?! Undo your magic on him or I will slay you where you lay," Jaken warned as he towered over her, the staff of two heads gripped tightly in his small hand. Seeing no response coming from her, he began to seethed and raised the staff above his head, swinging it down full force toward her unprotected body. Sensing his actions at the last moment, Kagome raised her hand to push the staff off course, causing it the smash against the ground a mere inch from her face.

Kagome bit into her lip to stop herself from screaming at the renewed pain blocking the staff had caused, causing a single drop of her bright, red blood to puddle on the surface of her lip. "I did not do that to him," she began shakily, forcing herself to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "He took that arrow protecting me and I have been trying to remove it."

"That is a priestess's purifying arrow, why would one of your own kind being shooting those at you?" he demanded as he pulled his staff back, opting to keep his readied stance as he did not trust her. He wasn't about to be caught off guard by her if it turned out she was lying.

"I made the mistake of telling her that I was friends with demons. I do not know why he took the arrow for me, as I am sure that is going to be your next question, we can both ask him when I find a way to remove the binding arrow. Now let me sleep, I drained too much energy last night trying to remove it and can not stay awake for a moment longer," she insisted even as her eyes fell close once again and her light snoring could soon be heard.

"Wench?" Jaken demanded only to be met by her silence. Annoyed, but not sure what else he should do, Jaken turned back and walked over to where he had left Rin atop of Ah-Un. "Rin set up camp here, I have more questions for her once she awakes and there is no sense in our leaving since Lord Sesshoumaru is here. Just keep quiet and do not wake her," Jaken warned, having no desire to hear her annoying voice grating on his ears because she was woken up again.

* * *

By the time Kagome had awoken, it was long into the next night and the only sounds around the clearing where the snores coming from Jaken and Rin, hers soft and light, his hard and grating. Shaking her head at the odd combination, Kagome turned her attention to the demon lord that remained unmoved from where she had left him. Sighing softly, she rose from her sleeping bag and quietly walked over, once again kneeling before him. Taking a few deep breaths, she steeled herself for the pain she knew would come and reached out to grab onto the arrow's shaft.

She gritted her teeth as the pain flowed through her hands, stopping herself from screaming, both worried about waking the others and that Inuyasha would hear her again. But without screaming as a way to vent some of her anguish, she felt the pain was so much more unbearable and had to release her grip much sooner than she had before. The arrow, as always, remained unmoved. "Damn it," she cursed under her breath as she glanced down at the newest burns that had ate through the gauze, showing the scarred flesh beneath.

"That is how you injured your hands?" Jaken inquired softly, startling Kagome from her inspection. She glanced over at him as he stared up at her from where he lay, before turning away, deciding to ignore his question. Carefully rising to her feet, Kagome made her way back over to her sleeping bag and sat down on top of it, careful not to jar her hands. With only the tips of her fingers remaining unburned, she found it all but impossible to pull her first aid kit onto her lap, let alone do anything about rebandaging her hands. "Let me," Jaken told her as he appeared next to her and pulled the kit away from her.

"Do you even know how to bandage wounds?" Kagome questioned without a hint of spite in her voice, he simply did not seem like someone who would have ever tried to bandage someone's wounds, let alone learn how to do it correctly. Instead of answering, he merely glared at her for a moment before turning his attention to the medicines at his disposal and began holding each one up, taking a quick sniff before setting it aside once again. "What are you doing?"

"There has been a heavy smell of medicine in this clearing since I arrived and it is no doubt what you have placed on your hands to help with the burns. I am trying to find it," he explained in annoyance before picking up another one and sniffing it. "Here we go," he decided, more to himself as he seemed to be completely ignoring her now. Reaching into her lap, Jaken grabbed a hold of her wrist and position her arm in front of him as he began to gently unwrap the melted cloth.

"Following after my Lord, I tend to end up getting injured. Rin in all of her wisdom tries to bandage whatever wounds I suffer, even if it is a simple paper cut, but she has yet to learn that less is more and I spend a good deal of time rewrapping them. I have become quite adept in tending wounds because of this," he explained as he finished with the used gauze and began spreading some of the ointment onto the new burns. "These burns are many layers deep, how many times have you tried to remove the arrow?" he questioned, staring up at her in shock, when he saw the wounds were at many different stages of healing.

"I never counted," Kagome replied with a half-hearted shrug before jumping to her feet and knocking the poor demon over. "Rin don't touch that!" she yelled as she rushed toward the little girl who was reaching from the arrow, but before she was able to reach her, a deep, growl echoed around the clearing. It took everyone a moment to realize who the sound was coming from and as they did, all eyes turned to Sesshoumaru, but he remained as he had been before.

Startled, Rin backed away from him quickly, tripping over a stone as she did and landing hard on her backside. "Lord Sesshoumaru," she cried, afraid she had angered her benefactor, worried he would end up hating her for her actions.

"It's okay Rin," Kagome assured her softly as she knelt down beside the frightened girl, some how understanding her unspoke fears. "He growled to prevent you from hurting yourself, not out of anger," she insisted as Rin glanced up at her. After a moment, the younger girl began to shake her head disbelievingly. "Rin, I have heard him growl in anger before, that was not it. That one was of worry and warning. He was protecting you as he did not wish for you to suffer as I have," she explained as she gestured toward her injured hands.

Understanding dawned in her eyes as Rin glanced from her face to her bandaged hands. "The arrow did that to you?" Rin questioned and Kagome nodded her head in response. "Oh," she breathed as she turned back to the silent demon in appreciation as he once again, even in this state, had saved her from harm. "I won't try again," Rin promised him with a quick nod of her head before she stood and began making her way back over to where she had been sleeping.


	3. Torment

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Torment  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Steam  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: None  
Word Count: 400

Summary: Kagome feels like she is being mocked.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts.

* * *

Kagome stared into the dancing flames of the fire long after the others had returned to their peaceful slumber. As much as she had wanted to join them, the pain kept her awake, her hands feeling as though they still gripped the arrow tightly, the power still burning them. They felt as if they were set aflame and she swore she could see the steam rising from them, taunting her from beneath the bandages.

More so than the pain the wounds caused her, the anguish they represented mocked her relentlessly. She could almost hear the arrow laughing at her for failing repeatedly in her quest to free the demon lord still bound before her by the priestess's holy powers. She could hear the voices of years past telling her she was weak, that she would never be as strong as Kikyou, and for a moment she contemplated seeking out the older priestess in hopes that she could release him as Kagome had been unable to.

But soon decided there was a better chance of Inuyasha attempting to remove the arrow for his half-brother, than there was for her to. So she remained where she was, glaring at her injured hands as though it was their fault she felt like a failure. Huffing at how ridiculous it sounded, even in her own mind, to blame her hands for her inability to remove the arrow, she turned her attention away from the wounds that haunted her and glanced around the clearing.

Seeing the others remained asleep, she turned to gaze at Sesshoumaru to find him staring directly into her chocolate eyes. Though she knew he could not really see her, she found herself unable to look away, unable to breath as she lost herself in his endless, golden orbs. Finally she had to turn away as she began to believe he too was mocking her and she knew if she allowed herself to believe that, she would become depressed. And she would cry again, and whether he could see her or not, she had no desire to cry yet again in front of the silent demon lord.

Deciding it was safer, as it would not point out her flaws her to, Kagome returned to staring into the dancing flames of the fire. Only the sounds of their breathing to keep her company as her companions remained unaware of her silent torment.


	4. Aux abois

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Aux abois  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Obstacle  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence and uneducated speech.  
Word Count: 1647

Summary: Demon and priestess face off in clearing.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts. Aux abois is French and translates roughly as extremely alarmed, usually from being cornered or at wit's end. (from wiktionary). Won second place for the one-shot contest: Obstacle

* * *

The tense, electric air roused Kagome from her slumber as a dense, almost endless wave of raw power flowed over her body. Confused as to what could be causing her blood to run cold, Kagome jolted upright in her sleeping bag and glanced around the clearing for the source of the untamed energy that threatened to suffocate her. Quickly spotting a frightened Rin huddled behind Jaken's smaller form, she turned her attention to the demon who held the staff of two heads within his hands, his body posed for action, and gave them a reassuring smile before turning away.

The air seemed to be charged with unknown power, each breath burning her lungs, forcing them to scream for more air. Another wave of immense power rolled over the clearing, almost knocking her over as she grabbed her bow, gripping it so tightly that the wood threatened to snap under the assault. Jumping to her feet, she tried to determine the direction the powers were originating only to find they seemed to be circling around them, coming from every direction.

They twisted and turned, they rose only to ebb a moment later, they amplified only to wane, constantly throwing her off balance, its strength threatening to crush her to the ground. Fighting back screams of frustration at her unseen opponent, Kagome gripped her bow even tighter and ignored everything around her. The soft, frightened whines of Rin, the heavy panting of Jaken laced with fear, the way the power seemed to taunt her inability to discover its location.

She tuned everything out, the way her lungs burned, her knees threatening to buckle under the strain of keeping her standing, the cold sweat that flowed from her pores, the way her body shivered in fear from the ominous power that surrounded her. She panted in ever angering breaths as her eyes swept the clearing in sporadic, almost chaotic, motions, searching for what she knew was near. It was coming. She knew not what it was or what it wanted, but she knew it would soon reveal itself.

Then suddenly, as though she could feel her opponent's thoughts, she knew what it was after. Her eyes widened in both fear and anger as she crossed the clearing, choosing the quickest path over the fire, taking a defensive stance before the silent demon lord just as the ground beneath her feet shook with its arrival. Gulping as her feet trembled beneath her, partly from the earthquake its movements caused and partly from her fear, Kagome pushed everything out of her mind as she reached for an arrow, pulling it taunt in her bow, fighting to remain standing as the shaking ground fought against her resolve.

Then it was there. Towering above her, its giant paws enough to dwarf her, its breath billowing from its massive jaw in puffs of white as its black, empty eyes glared down at her. Her hand began to tremble, causing the bow to rattle in her hands, drawing the attention of her opponent. One side of its massive jaw tilted up, showing off fangs larger than her arm, as it seemed to smirk tauntingly at her. She ignored the way it seemed to laugh at her for her fear, fighting back the anger that threatened to rise within her, knowing if she lost control, she was dead.

"My prey," the demon informed her in a deep, dark growl, looking not at her but to the demon behind her. "Move," it commanded, its booming voice shaking the ground and causing her to tremble more than she had already been. She audibly swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, but made no other indication that she had heard him. "Move or die," his dark, hollow voice threatened, and Kagome closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath, as she tried to will her rattled nerves to calm.

"Leave," she began, refusing to open her eyes to see its massive form before her, her voice cracking, vocalizing her terror. "Leave, return when he has been released and you can fight him fairly," she instructed, somehow understanding his intentions of wanting to kill him while he was defenseless, unable to protect himself. Her umber eyes shot open as his booming voice chuckled darkly, causing a shiver to run across her skin.

"Strong live, weak die. I strong, he weak. I live, he die," he growled at her as he raised one of his massive paws, plunging it upon where she stood. Adrenaline pumping into her veins, her powers acted of their own accord, filling the arrow with purifying powers, just as her fingers released it without her consent. The bright, pink light flashed the short distance between them, embedding itself in his paw, causing it to abort its descent as it howled in pain.

"Leave," Kagome commanded again even as she readied another arrow, her voice betraying her fear, even if her eyes did not as she stared uncaring at the injured demon before her. "Only when you fight him when he can defend himself, will you ever prove yourself stronger. Attacking him like this only proves you to be a coward. Leave now," she almost pleaded as she fought back the tears of fear that threatened to fall from her eyes.

Kagome watched as his injured paw began to disintegrate from the power of her arrow, until less than half of the massive limp remained. The demon glared down at its missing paw before opening its massive jaw and howling at her in pain and anger, the strength of his action almost knocking her back against the unmoving demon behind her. "Obstacles for killing. You obstacle, you die," the demon bellowed as it leaped into the air, its massive form falling down upon her. Screaming out in fear, Kagome released the arrow as she fell backwards, fainting from fear before her body had ever reached the ground.

* * *

"Ah, so you are finally awake," a grating voice called out to her as Kagome felt consciousness returning to her mind. Confused and annoyed, she batted away the hand that wipe a cold, wet cloth across her forehead and she tried to remember what had happened to cause the pain she felt. "You should remain lying down," the voice continued as she tried to rise, only to find the same hand that had been tending to her a moment ago, pushing her back down.

"What happened?" she asked groggily as she forced her umber eyes to open, trying to focus the blurry images she was seeing. Giving up on rising, she wiped her sleep crusted eyes and once again tried to focus them. Seeing a slightly worried Jaken hovering over her, only served to confuse her even more and she simply stared at him.

"Do not think I am concerned about you for any more reason than the fact that you are the only one trying to release my lord. I do not know whom to seek for aid if you were to get yourself killed," Jaken insisted as he released her and sat back upon his knees.

"Sesshoumaru?!" she cried out as she jolted herself upright and scanned the clearing, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head as the sudden movement caused her to become dizzy. Seeing he remained unmoved and uninjured where she had left him, Kagome sighed in relief as she allowed herself to fall back on her sleeping bag. "What happened to the demon?"

"Your arrow purified him as you lost consciousness. You were extremely lucky, had his body disintegrated a moment later, your pathetic human body would have been crushed beneath its weight. I am quite amazed you have lived as long as you have, I was not aware you were so untrained."

"I usually live because of luck or Inuyasha coming in time to save me. I hate training my powers, it feels like I am admitting that I am a priestess and that I am trying to be like Kikyou. Dangerous or not, I prefer to remain the untrained, strange girl, at least I feel like I am my own person this way," Kagome explained, not caring that the demon beside her couldn't really care less. "I'm just glad my powers finally decided to return. Things would have been far worse if it had taken me any longer to start regaining them."

"What do you mean? Your power seems to be as it has always been," Jaken insisted confused.

"When I held up a shield around us, I drained myself of power. Today was the first time they had resurfaced since then."

"Yesterday," Jaken corrected only to be met with her confused expression. "You've been unconscious since yesterday. If you did not awake today, I was planing on taking Lord Sesshoumaru and Rin and leaving you here to die," he admitted, finding no reason to lie about his intentions.

"That's not a bad idea, well not the leaving me here to die or taking Sesshoumaru with you part, but taking Rin out of here. It's not safe for her to remain and there is no way to know if another demon will attack. I can understand that you do not wish to leave Sesshoumaru here with me, but I can't worry about protecting her while trying to deal with him. If you don't want to go far, you can always go to the village with Inuyasha and the others. Hopefully with my powers returning, I will be able to release him sooner and you can be on your way."

"Very well, but only to keep Rin safe and have the opportunity to annoy the half-breed, not to make things easier for you. But know this, wench, if you do not release Lord Sesshoumaru, you will join him," Jaken threatened as he stood and began making his way toward Rin to gather their belongings.


	5. Uninvited

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Uninvited  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Rant  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Couple of swear words.  
Word Count: 300

Summary: Inuyasha throws a tantrum.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking sending that bastard to the village? Do you have any idea how many people his ugly mug scared?" Inuyasha demanded as he burst into the clearing, startling Kagome. "It's bad enough that you're out here trying to help him," Inuyasha began, gesturing to the silent demon lord, "but why do I have to deal with his annoying followers? I don't remember ever saying that I would help them."

"Inuyasha," Kagome began only to be interrupted as his rant continued.

"And have you smelt him lately? He smells worse than that damn wolf, the least you could have done was made him take a bath first, but oh no, you sent him into a small, unventilated hut with me. Is this your way of paying me back for trying to leave that bastard the way he is?" Inuyasha demanded as he gestured to his half-brother once again.

"Inuyasha, I didn't...," Kagome began once again, pausing as his rant began anew.

"And what is up with that little girl? She bounces off the walls more than Shippo does after a bag full of your chocolate and all day and night all I hear is 'Lord Sesshoumaru this', 'Lord Sesshoumaru that'," he complained in a high pitch voice as he tried to imitate Rin. "And that pet dragon of theirs sits outside of the hut all day, chomping away at the grass and scaring the villagers. Do something about 'your' guests," he insisted, emphasizing that they were hers.

"Inuyasha, can I speak now? Don't be such a baby. If he needs a bath, show him where to bathe. If Rin is too hyper, get her outside where she can run around with Shippo. And the more you bug me, the longer this is going to take."


	6. Duty

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Duty  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Public  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 100

Summary: What needs to be done.

Full story link: .com/fanfiction/story/3217/1

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts.

* * *

"I'm sorry this has to be done in such a public manner, even if I'm the only witness. I'm sure that me alone is more of an audience than you'd wish for, but it needs to be done and you cannot currently do it yourself," Kagome explained softly.

Carefully pulling the fabric over the arrow's shaft, she gently wiped the moist cloth across on the contours of his well-defined chest. "I'm sure the thought of being dirty is far greater an offense than having me clean you, so just bear with it for now," she told her motionless companion.


	7. Ultimatum

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Ultimatum  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Stern  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: None  
Word Count: 300

Prompt Summary: Kagome's given an ultimatum.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Serial for Dokuga Contest prompts.

* * *

"Must you always have such a stern look on your face whenever you come here?" Kagome inquired as she glanced up, having heard the footsteps that heralded his arrival into the clearing, and found Jaken glaring down at her.

"Must you always fail in your attempts to release Lord Sesshoumaru?" he counted as he glanced between the still bound demon and Kagome, as she sat before him blowing on her newest burns. "Perhaps your failures are trying to tell you that you are not capable of releasing him," he suggested as he walked over to where her first aid kit was laying and began pulling out what he would need to bandage her hands.

"I refuse to believe that and besides, I'm positive the arrow moved this time. It wasn't much, but I could feel it beginning to give. I'm sure it's connected to my powers, the more I feel them returning to me, the easier this becomes. Look," she instructed as she held her hands palms up, gesturing to the most recent burns. "They aren't as bad as they were before, and I had to stop since I was out of energy, not because of the pain this time. Once my powers fully return, I believe I will be able to release him."

Jaken sat silently for a few moments as he dressed her wounds and thought over her words. He hated how long she was taking, but at the same time, he knew of no one else who would even be willing to try to help. And he couldn't deal with demons attacking while trying to watch Rin. But they couldn't remain here for too much longer, the West needed to be informed. "When your powers return, release him or we will leave. We cannot stay here forever."


	8. Eclipsing Grace

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Eclipsing Grace  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Rainbow  
Genre: Drama, Action, Angst

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Character death.  
Word Count: 1684

Prompt Summary: Just how far will Kagome go to save her enemy?

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 8 of Voluntary Obligation. **Won first place for the one-shot contest: Rainbow**

* * *

Feeling a small drop of moisture land on her cheek, Kagome sleepily wiped it away with her fingers, her umber eyes remaining closed as she willed herself back into dreamland. Another drop landed on the tip of her nose and she grumbled as she hurried to remove the cold drop. Feeling no more interruptions, Kagome felt herself beginning to drift back off only to screech in surprise a moment later as the dark skies opened up, pouring its freezing rain onto her.

Now completely awake, Kagome shook her fist at the uncaring sky before jumping to her feet and throwing her already wet sleeping bag over her head to try and ward off the rain. Glaring around the clearing, as she searched for a better place to seek shelter while she waited out the storm, her eyes fell upon Sesshoumaru. Finally remembering his presence, Kagome quickly made her way over to where he remained, throwing the sleeping bag over his head and cuddling up as close to him as she dared.

As a booming clash of thunder streaked across the sky, Kagome jumped in surprise, pressing herself unknowingly closer to him, unconsciously seeking comfort from the fright. It wasn't until she heard the low growl vibrating from him, that she realized what she was doing. "Oh stuff it," she growled back as she scooted over a few inches, just far enough that they were no longer touching, though both remained sheltered by the sleeping bag.

"You know, it's not like I want to be this close to you either, but I'm not entirely sure if you can catch a cold or not and don't dare chance it. Just think about how much more I would have to tend to you if you did. Suffering through a little close contact during this storm doesn't seem so bad when you compare them, does it?" she questioned rhetorically as a flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating their small clearing, giving his golden eyes an eerie red glow. Dismissing the thought that he was beginning to transform into his massive, demon form, Kagome ignored the chill his glowing eyes had sent to her core.

"You know, you could at least pretend to be thankful for all I have gone through for you this past week. I realize you never asked for my help, but I have never heard you growl when I am trying to remove the arrow. I know you can at least understand what is going on around you, how else would you have been able to stop Rin when she tried to touch it? So I am positive you know what I have been trying to do, and what I have had to suffer in my attempts, yet you have never stopped me. Is it really all that much to ask for a little comfort when I am scared after all of the pain I have endured trying to help you?" Kagome spat at him before turning away to glare angerly at the rain soaked clearing.

Kagome held onto her anger for a few moments, allowing her temper to flair within her, the heat it caused helping her warm her slightly. But all too soon it disappeared with a gasp as another clash of thunder echoed across the sky, startling her, forcing her to lose her concentration. "Look I get it, okay? You don't want some pathetic human helping you, but I owe you my life and whether that means anything to you or not, it does to me. So just suffer through my presence and help a little while longer, will you?"

Not expecting a reply from the silent demon lord, Kagome didn't bother waiting for one as she once again turned her attention back to the heavily falling rain. She sighed out loud to herself, quickly becoming bored by the scenery and unknowingly began speaking out loud to him. "I guess I can't really consider storms to be all bad, even if I am easily startled by the thunder. I know the storm will pass, leaving behind a beautiful rainbow, just as they always do," Kagome said with a smile before turning toward her demon 'companion' and fully speaking to him.

"You know about karma right?" she inquired and continued without waiting for his reply, "For every negative there is a positive. For every darkness there is a light. For every evil there is a good. The same can be said about this storm. Even though it is dark and cold, the clouds block out the light of the moon leaving only the ocasional strikes of lightning to light our way and the clashes of thunder frighten me, it too will pass. And all that will remain will be a rainbow. Have you ever seen one? I know dogs are colorblind but never asked Inuyasha if dog demons were as well.

"But just like this storm, what we are suffering will pass too. Everything negative you are dealing with now will lead the way for positive in your life. Just as it will mine. I can't help but wonder though, if these burns are my storm, what will my rainbow be?" Kagome wondered out loud as she glanced down at her mostly dry bandages, seeing a few specks of blood had soaked through and they would need to be changed soon. "But if it's any consolation, my powers seemed to be fully recharged now. If I am right about them being the key to releasing you, you do not have much longer to wait to be rid of me."

* * *

Kagome grumbled softly as she felt herself being pulled into the land of the waking, fighting with everything she had to remain in her peaceful dream for a few moments longer. But her struggle was in vain as the deep growl coming from beside her, roused her completely. Confused, Kagome sleepily wiped her eyes as she turned to find the reason he was growling so early in the morning. Sometime during the night, she had cuddled up against him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Sorry," she mumbled half-heartedly as she pushed herself off of him and breathed in the fresh, after rain, air.

Rising to her feet, Kagome pulled the damp sleeping bag off of them and tossed it to the side to be dealt with later. Stretching her arms above her head, she let off a loud yawn as she worked out the kinks her sleeping position had caused. "See, Sesshoumaru, the storm has passed leaving us a rainbow in its wake," she informed him as she gestured to the other side of the clearing where a rainbow could just barely be made out over the tree tops. "Well what do you say we get this over with?" she inquired rhetorically as she turned back to him with a smile.

Dropping to her knees before him, Kagome drew in a deep breath as she steeled herself for the pain she knew was to come. "Ready?" she questioned and without waiting for his response, figuring he wouldn't answer her even if he could, Kagome reached her hands up, grabbing onto the all to familiar shaft of the arrow. Instantly the bright, pink power began to shoot up from the arrow, yet again remindering her of lightning strikes, and she started screaming in pain as more burns layered themselves on top of those she had already received.

Pushing the pain to the back of her mind, as much as she could, Kagome began pulling her powers from as deep within her as she could, waging a war between hers and the priestess's who had started all of this. As she held Sesshoumaru's golden gaze with her own, the battle between the holy powers went unnoticed by her. The pain already almost to the point of being unbearable, she did her best to smile through the tears that coursed their way down her cheeks, as she gave him a quick nod and began to pull with all of her strength.

Feeling the arrow begin to move, Kagome forced every ounce of power she could muster to rise to the surface, the bright, pink light of her power circling around the arrow's shaft as it tried to drown out the other priestess's. Her screams grew louder as the waring powers flared up around them, bathing them both in a bright, pink hue, burning and healing them simultaneously. "You will not beat me this time," she swore as she tightened her grip so hard on the arrow that her knuckles began turning white, using ever last drop of energy she had to pull the arrow.

Slowly, and ever so painfully for both of them, the shaft began to retract, finally disintegrating just as the arrow head had come in contract with the skin on his back. No longer having a force fighting against her, Kagome was thrown back by the sudden loss of something to hold onto, only to be caught as Sesshoumaru's clawed hand grabbed onto her arm. His howl of pain echoed through the clearing around them, its haunting tune chilling her to the core, though she paid it little mind as she smiled up at him. "It finally worked," she whispered through watery eyes.

Feeling a stinging pain in her arm, afraid the burns had extended passed her hands, Kagome glanced down only to find the cause was much worse than she had originally feared. Embedded into the flesh of her arm, were Sesshoumaru's claws, each one releasing his eerie, green poison into her blood. She watched in amazement for a few moments as the green lines traced the path of her veins, visible even through her skin. Glancing back up at him, her watery smile still lighting her face, she opened her mouth as a single droplet of blood stained her chin as gravity took its course. "I guess I won't get to see my rainbow after all," she whispered softly, her voice sounding raw and hoarse, as her umber eyes slowly closed, and her body went slack in his grip.


	9. Cause and Effect

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Cause and Effect  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Purse  
Genre: Drama, Action, Angst

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Re-mentioning of earlier character death.  
Word Count: 200

Prompt Summary: For every action, there is a reaction.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 9 of Voluntary Obligation. **Won first place for weekly perfection: Purse**

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared down at the girl who hung limp in his grasp, her body half laying on the rain-soaked ground, half dangling in the air. He remained frozen, unable to understand the events that had taken place moments before. As he peered down at her, he tried to force his cloudy thoughts to clear.

He remembered her gazing into his eyes, nodding her head, signaling her readiness, beginning to pull the arrow from his chest. Her screams of pain as she fought against it. The waring powers flowing over him, the burning and healing they inflicted upon him. He remembered howling in pain when he was finally released.

But this confused him. Surely the powers she fought against or her energy being drained wouldn't do this. Feeling something warm and wet running down his fingers, Sesshoumaru glanced down to find his claws embedded in her arm, his poison flowing into her veins. He released his grip, causing her to fall the rest of the way to the ground, as he stared down at her in horror.

He pursed his lips in anger and turned his gaze away, unable to look upon what he had done. He had killed her.


	10. Regrets and Consequences

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Regrets and Consequences  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Red  
Genre: Drama, Action, Angst

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: References to past character death.  
Word Count: 100

Prompt Summary: Sesshoumaru ponders if his next action is the right one.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 10 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared down at the lone drop of blood that stained her chin, already beginning to crust, turning from red to a rusty color. In all of his long existence he couldn't remember regretting a life he had taken, but this time it had been an accident.

This time his victim didn't deserve to die. As he stared down at her lifeless form, he found himself once again immobile, unable to move from his spot. He knew his father's fang would work on her, but he also knew the consequences of using it to bring back life to the dead.


	11. The price of life

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: The price of life  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Second Thoughts  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: High T

Warnings: Swearing, including the F word.  
Word Count: 1209

Prompt Summary: Knowing the price of resurrection, can Sesshoumaru force it on Kagome after everything she has done?

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 11 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru found himself unsure of his next move. He could simply walk away from her lifeless form, forsaking her unsolicited sacrifices in his name, or he could return the breath to her body with a single slash of his sword, cutting through the chains that bound her to the underworld. While on the surface, he knew the answer seemed easy, things were never as simple as they appeared. He understood, better than anyone else, just what bringing a life back from the dead would truly lead to.

And for once, Sesshoumaru found himself wondering if he had the right to choose that path in her name. If the little he knew about priestesses told him anything, it is that they would choose death over the alternative. Even though he knew she was connected to his half-brother, choosing to be with a half-demon companion was completely different than being forced to be with a full demon who was an enemy. After all of the pain she had suffered for him, he wanted to choose the path that she would have wanted.

The problem was, he did not know which one that would be. Their few short encounters did little to show him her inner thoughts and wishes. He knew she could stand up against an opponent to protect her friends, even as fear shown in her umber eyes and her knees threatened to buckle. He had seen her subdue Inuyasha on more than one occasion, never fearing retribution. Seen her protect the life of a young demon, even when risking her own, but none of this was the same as what he was faced with now.

She had always had the chance to choose for herself and no matter which way he decided to go, he would be making the choice for her. And Sesshoumaru felt it wasn't his place, someone close to her should be making the decision. But it was only the two of them in the clearing, no one was around to tell him what to do. Sesshoumaru scoffed at the idea of allowing someone else to tell him what to do, but quickly reminded himself that it was not about him.

As he continued to stare down at her lifeless form, careful not to touch her for fear of doing more damage, Sesshoumaru did the only thing he could think to do, he called for aid. Raising his head toward the sky, Sesshoumaru bayed long and deep, knowing his half-brother would be able to hear him from the village he knew to be close by. He did not have long to wait before the half-demon was rushing into the clearing, instantly spotting his friend.

Dropping to his knees as he let off a howl of anguish, Inuyasha pulled Kagome's hollow form into his arms, turning a hateful glare toward his half-brother. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?!" he demanded as his eyes began to bleed red, though the sword at his side prevented his transformation from going any further. "You sick fuck, is this how you repay someone after everything she has done for you?!"

"It was not intentional," Sesshoumaru replied softly after a moment, noticing Inuyasha's attention was no longer on him but back on the girl in his arms. "It was done unconsciously when she removed the arrow," he continued, feeling as though he needed to make Inuyasha understand that he was not so evil that he would have killed her intentionally the moment he was revived.

"If it was an accident, what the hell are you waiting for? Save her with that stupid sword of yours already!" Inuyasha commanded, gesturing to the still sheathed sword at his side. Sesshoumaru glanced down at Tenseiga for a moment before turning back to his half-brother, a lost expression barely readable on his otherwise stoic face. "Why are you hesitating? You owe her that much at least!"

"Like all things in life, Inuyasha, being resurrected comes with a price. It is not my place to decide for her. The cost of bringing her back to life is her loyalty. She will no longer follow you, but would leave with me. I have no desire to take your mate away from you, no matter how much I may hate you. There are things that even I would never do," Sesshoumaru explained to him quietly, his gaze focused on Kagome's form.

"You know, for as intelligent as you claim to be, you're an idiot," Inuyasha spat at him darkly as he glared at him from under his white bangs. "For starters, she ain't my mate, I have never touched her. Use your nose, Sesshoumaru, no man has," Inuyasha pointed out, saying his name as if it alone was an insult. "And what decision is left to be made? She already made it for you. She chose you the moment she stayed in this clearing trying to save you.

"Maybe if we were talking about that bastard Naraku, she might prefer to remain dead, but if she really thought you were her enemy, do you think she would have gone through all of that pain to save you? What it is, I will never understand, but she saw some good in you somewhere. But fine, don't want to take the blame for it? Whatever, I will. Resurrect her. Save her as she saved you, fuck the consequences. Hell, even I would rather see her following you than dead."

Sesshoumaru stared at his half-brother in silence for a few moments, debating whether or not his words would hold true when it was all over, before deciding it didn't really matter. By then it would be too late for him to change his mind. Unsheathing Tenseiga, he motioned for Inuyasha to place Kagome back on the ground as he stood and towered over both of their forms. As the fang pulsed in his hand, the pall-bearers came into view, their chains tying her to the underworld.

One slice of the sword cut through them, disintegrating them on contact as Kagome sucked in a deep, shaky breath of air. Before she could even get her barrings, Inuyasha had embraced her in a bear hug as he pulled her back into his lap. Not really sure what was going on, Kagome silently reached her hand up to caress Inuyasha's face, brushing away the large tear drops that spilled down his cheeks. Glancing over at Sesshoumaru, hoping he could explain what had happened to her, she noticed him sheathing his sword.

Understanding washed over her, as she knew of only one reason for him to use that sword. Staring down at her arm she quickly spotted the scars, still tinged green from his poison, she wondered why the fang had been unable to completely heal her. Though after a moment, she decided it was most likely due to the fact that he had been the one to kill her in the first place. As the thought ran through her mind, it finally dawned on her that she had really been dead. Unsure of what else to do, Kagome turned in Inuyasha's arms and began crying against his shoulder.


	12. Seeking comfort

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Seeking comfort  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Glomp  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: None for this prompt.  
Word Count: 300

Prompt Summary: Rin and Jaken return to the clearing.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 12 of Voluntary Obligation

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood silently watching as the girl weeped in his half-brother's arms, not wanting to remain in the clearing any longer than he had to, but at the same time, having no desire to rush someone who had just risen from the dead. Inuyasha could easily discern that his brother wished to leave, but having no way to know when the next time he would see his best friend would be, he refused to let her go.

Kagome on the other hand, remained unaware of the inner battles that were going on around her as she sought comfort in Inuyasha's arms. She'd been close to dying many times before, but this was the first time she had ever really died and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. She found herself overwhelmed by confusion, fear and a strange obligation toward Sesshoumaru.

Brushing it off as him saving her being the cause, Kagome glanced up when a loud squeal pierced the air of the clearing around them. Rin, followed by a stumbling and wailing Jaken, charged into the clearing, glomping onto Sesshoumaru's leg the moment she reached him. "Lord Sesshoumaru you're okay!" she cheered as she gazed up at him with a large grin plastered on her face. "She did it, she saved Lord Sesshoumaru. Just like she said she would," she pointed out as she turned toward Jaken as though the toad demon couldn't see it for himself.

"Well it's about time," he griped, only half seriously, through the waterworks. "Does that mean we can leave now, Lord Sesshoumaru?" he questioned as he turned his attention to him.

"We will leave in a moment," Sesshoumaru decided, speaking more to his half-brother than to Jaken, as he kept his gaze on Kagome. Finally nodding, Inuyasha released her.


	13. Painful Truth

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Painful Truth  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Crazy  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: None for this prompt.  
Word Count: 400

Prompt Summary: Kagome learns the truth about being resurrected.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 13 of Voluntary Obligation

* * *

Feeling Inuyasha's arms releasing her, Kagome glanced up at him in confusion noticing his refusal to meet her eyes. "Inuyasha," she whispered as she raised her hand and placed it upon his cheek, trying to get him to turn his attention back to her, but again he refused and instead, gestured behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Sesshoumaru standing there, waiting patiently though she had no idea what for.

Glancing back and forth between the two brothers, she waited for one of them to explain to her what was going on, but both remained silent ignoring her unspoken plea. Deciding being subtle was getting her no where, Kagome voiced her worry, "Inuyasha, why does it seem like you want me to go with him?" A huff of indignation came from behind her, but already knowing it had come from Jaken, she ignored it.

"Perhaps you should ask yourself who you want to go with," he suggested as he finally turned to gaze into her umber eyes, his own golden ones moist with unacknowledged tears. His words only serving to further confuse her, Kagome glanced back at where Sesshoumaru stood, hoping he'd tell her what was going on, but as he had been for the last week, he remained silent.

"Inuyasha, of course I want to stay with him," Kagome replied only to realize what she had said a moment later. Shaking her head, she corrected, "I want to stay with him." Again she shook her head as she fisted her hands at her sides and took a deep breath. "I want to go with you, Sesshoumaru." Kagome screamed in frustration, beginning to wonder if being resurrected from the dead had caused her to go insane. She just couldn't understand why she was unable to say what she had been trying to.

"It's the sword, Kagome," Inuyasha explained as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against his chest. "The price of being resurrected is your loyalty. You have to go with him now," he explained, releasing her again and helping her to her feet. Giving her one last sad look, Inuyasha turned and took off back toward the village, leaving her to stand there crying after him.

"Come," Sesshoumaru instructed after remaining silent as long as he could. "You will see him again," he promised before turning and making his way out of the clearing.


	14. Bellissima

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Bellissima  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Interlude  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: High T

Warnings: Raised the rating a bit due to implied nudity and slight innuendo. Nothing is overly descriptive, but you can easily tell what I am referring to.  
Word Count: 4256

Prompt Summary: Interlude in the story to show things through Sesshoumaru's eyes.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 14 of Voluntary Obligation. Bellissima is both Italian and Spanish for 'very beautiful'.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood silently, barely listening to the conversation that went on around him, about him. He had entered the clearing only a few moments before, finding the priestess standing there waiting for him with her arrow already aimed in his direction. She had insulted him the moment she spotted him, referring to him as a filthy demon, even as her legs shook in fear and strained to keep her standing. Just as he was debating whether or not she was worth wasting his time killing her, the second priestess had stumbled into the clearing, almost falling flat on her face when the thicket refused to release its hold on her strange clothing.

He ignored their conversation as even if they were speaking about him, he had no interest in sticking around to hear it. In fact, he was just about to leave while they were too busy aguring with each other to notice his absence, when he saw her turn her arrow on her fellow priestess. The second, the one that followed around his idiot half-brother, seemed petrified in her spot, an expression of horror marring her face. As the 'whoosh' of the released arrow reached his elven ears, one word flashed in his mind, causing his feet to move before he realized what he was doing.

'Rin!' his mind screamed at him, his instincts already accustomed to protecting the young girl, and urging him forward as though it was his ward standing before him and not the strange woman she was in reality. It was only an instant before he felt the tip of the arrow pierce his flesh, the powers that laced it burning his skin, and he reached his hand up to grasp it, only to find it falling short. He could feel the moment he lost control of his body, it no longer obeying his commands, as he fell upon one knee.

His inability to move fled from his mind as he watched the priestess readying another arrow, his heartbeat beginning to drum in his ears, knowing he would not be able to move to stop it. As hard as he fought against the invisible chains, they refused to give, leaving him completely exposed. Just as she released her second arrow, he felt soft arms fall across his shoulders as a wave of power flashed out from them, tingling across his pale skin.

Sesshoumaru watched as the arrow bounced harmlessly off of the barrier surrounding them, knowing that had the shield been a second later, it would have pierced his heart. The terror of the woman pressing against his back almost overwhelmed him until she screamed out his half-brother's name, her lips right next to his sensitive ear, and found himself wondering which was worse; the ringing in his ears or the thought of Inuyasha seeing him in such a pathetic manner.

He went back to ignoring what was going on around him, having no desire to see the smug look of satisfaction upon Inuyasha's face when he arrived. It wasn't until he felt the girl collapse against him, the pure, raw power that had surrounded them dissipating, that he allowed himself to tune in what was happening in the clearing. Hearing the strange priestess's words of warning, he couldn't help but smirk mentally at the eventual hunt.

As they spoke of the arrow still embedded within his chest, Sesshoumaru turned his thoughts away from his future prey and back to the present. He felt himself grow angry when he learned just what kind of arrow it was, knowing it would have to be removed by another priestess more powerful than the one that had shot it. He felt nothing from his half-brother's crude remarks about leaving him there as he was, it was the same as he would have done had the roles been reversed.

And found himself confused by her response. They were enemies, there was no logical reason for her to wish him free, even if he had taken the arrow for her. She should be leaving the clearing with her companion, not going against him for his sake. She should be laughing at his misfortune, not promising him his release. His fate should not matter to her, their lives would be much safer without him alive, she should not be taking it in her own hands.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared down silently at priestess as she knelt before him, her pulse beating rapidly as drops of perspiration fell from her brow. She fiddled with her fingers for a few tense moments before drawing in a deep breath. Her aura of fear washed out all other scents around him, including her own, as she slowly inched her fingers closer to the arrow protruding from his chest. Just as he began to wonder if she feared the arrow itself, she began to speak.

"I know you don't want a human to touch you, or even be close to you, but in order to remove the arrow, I can't really help that. So once you're released, try not to kill me for invading your personal space okay?" she requested without waiting for his answer as she finally grasp the arrow's shaft. Instantly the power flared up around it, burning his flesh even further as he prayed she would be quick about it.

It wasn't until a moment later that he realized the ear piercing scream he heard was not within his own mind, but coming from her. Confused as to why she seemed to be screaming for him, Sesshoumaru glanced down at her face only to find it married in agony. It took him a moment to realize she was not screaming for the pain he felt, but her own. As a result, he merely found his confusion grow, holy powers were not supposed to injure others who had them as well.

For a moment, Sesshoumaru wondered if she perhaps had a tiny amount of demon blood within her veins, caused by one of her ancestors mating a demon, only to dismiss the idea. He had witnessed her using purifying powers on more than one occasion, no doubt the same thing would have happened then if that had been the case. As her scream finally died down, he turned his attention back to her, watching as she raised her hand to her face, staring at her open palm.

Though he could not see what she did, it was not hard to figure out what had caught her attention, the smell of burning flesh was far too heavy in the air to have just been caused by his own wound. Trying to remove the arrow had burned her and Sesshoumaru felt his only hope slipping away from him. Even if he couldn't believe that she would try, he knew with certainty that no other priestess would and she seemed unable to free him.

* * *

Again and again Sesshoumaru watched the strange priestess in confusion as she repeatedly tried to release him from his prison even as her attempts caused her great pain and suffering. Each time she grasped the arrow her only accomplishment was adding another layer of burns on top of her older ones. And yet, she tried over and over, her failures seemingly having no effect on her willingness to try. In fact, they only seemed to urge her on.

He listened to her soft words as she knelt before him, swearing to release him before she drew in a deep breath and began the painful process over again. Though he knew the pain had to be far passed unbearable, her umber eyes remained open, staring into his own golden orbs. The power crackled around them, her scream echoing throughout the clearing and still she refused to release her hold. Refused to give up even though the odds were obviously stacked against her.

As he knelt there, unable to do anything save watch her, Sesshoumaru found himself wondering why. Why she was trying so hard, why for him. Why she hadn't left the clearing when Inuyasha had, why she refused to leave him to his fate. Why she was promising her enemy freedom, why she was inflicting such pain upon herself. Why she thought he was worthy of being saved, why she seemed to be unable to do what she was trying to.

The thoughts chanted in his mind, unable or unwilling to supply their answers, as he continued to watch her struggle. Her eyes slowly closed as she fell backwards, her grip of the arrow going slack, as she lost consciousness. Without even realizing it, he tried to reach his arms forward to catch her only to find them unmoved from their position. Barely able to make out her form from the bottom of his line of sight, Sesshoumaru tuned his ears to pick up her beating heart, finding himself oddly relieved when he caught the soft sound.

* * *

Before he could see him, Sesshoumaru felt his half-brother's presence enter the clearing and, once he came into view, he watched as he leaned down to lift the unconscious girl into his arms. Just as he was deciding that Inuyasha planned to take her back to their village, leaving him there alone, he saw him sitting down with her on the other side of the campfire. He half listened to his words as he watched him bandaging her wounds, finding what Inuyasha said made more sense than her actions.

There was no reason for her to continue inflicting the pain upon herself for his sake, she owed him nothing not even her life as she claimed. She had only been in danger because of him anyways, the priestess was there to attack him, not her. The arrow was originally meant for him and he hadn't tried to save her, not intentionally at least. She had reminded him of Rin, it was Rin his body moved to protect, to shield from the arrow, not her.

Hearing the pain in his brother's voice, and not really understanding why she was going through all of this for him, Sesshoumaru found himself half wishing he could tell him to take her away. But the other half prayed he didn't. He did not want to remain frozen like this forever and he could think of no other that would even attempt to set him free. He silently listened as she explained why she was helping him, and thoughts of Rin awoke in his mind, causing him to wonder how she was.

Jaken could easily handle watching over her for a few days, but he always returned quickly. Now he had no way of knowing how long he would be like this, unable to return to them, unable to protect them. As he watched her fall back asleep within Inuyasha's arms, he couldn't help but be reminded of the times Rin did the same with him after being awoken from a nightmare. Letting his mind wander from the scene in front of him, Sesshoumaru wondered what it was about his family that seemed to attract strange, human females to them.

* * *

Sesshoumaru felt himself inwardly cringe when the strange woman blocked Jaken's staff attack with her injured hands, knowing the force had to have jarred the burns painfully. He could see, just by looking at her, that she fought against the scream that was building within her as her face twisted in agony. Why she refused to voice her pain, he was unsure. He paid her conversation with Jaken little attention until she had fallen asleep once again.

He watched as they settled in to wait for her to awaken, letting his mind wander again to pass the time himself. The hours passed unnoticed by him until he felt her kneeling before him once again. This time when she gripped the arrow, she didn't scream and for a moment, Sesshoumaru allowed himself to believe that it was finally working. Until he realized a moment later that not only did the arrow remain as it was, but her face was still etched in pain.

She was holding the scream in and after moment, he realized her reasoning. She did not wish to wake his companions, she was already suffering for his sake and now she was doing it for theirs as well. Was she unable to do anything for her own sake or was she just idiotic? The pain was obviously worse without using her scream as an outlet, why suffer more just to prevent yourself from waking others? They weren't hurt or ill, waking them would not be so horrible.

But there she was holding in her scream until the point that the pain made her weak and faint, finally releasing her grip on the arrow's shaft. Even after all of that, Jaken still woke up and Sesshoumaru watched as the toad demon began dressing her wounds, talking with her as he did so. As the strong smell of medicine invaded his senses, Sesshoumaru found it hard to concentrate on their conversation and settled for just watching them.

"Rin don't touch that!" He heard her scream after a moment as she began rushing toward his ward. Confused Sesshoumaru glanced to where she was to find her leaning over in front of him, her tiny fingers just shy of touching the arrow. He screamed her name within his mind, growling as he fought against the power that was holding him in place. As Rin backed away from him scared, he realized she had heard his growl and allowed a mental sigh of relief.

Hearing the strange woman explaining what his growl had meant, Sesshoumaru found himself surprised that she had understood. Perhaps she had spent too much time around his half-brother and had begun to understand what the different pitches mean or it could simply have been because it was the explanation that made the most sense at the moment. Either way it no longer mattered to him once he heard Rin's promise to not try again.

* * *

He could feel it long before it was anywhere near the clearing and Sesshoumaru struggled in vain against the magic that held him immobile. It was strong, powerful, daunting. Though he knew he could stop it in a heartbeat without suffering any injury himself, he couldn't get to it. He watched helpless as the others in the clearing began reeking of fear and terror and again he struggled. Rin's soft, frightened whines reached his ears, intensifying his desire to break free.

As he continued to watch, the strange woman lept over the small campfire to stand guard in front of him, pulling an arrow taunt in her bow even as the fear rolled off of her aura in waves. Sesshoumaru found himself confused, as not only was there fear but anger as well, and even as her legs shook to keep her standing, she did not back down. Not even as the demon appeared in the clearing, towering above her tiny form.

Still she did not run, even though he knew her pathetic human instincts had to be telling her to. Why? Why did she stay there to protect him against a demon she couldn't possibly defeat? He screamed in his mind for her to run, to take Rin with her, but even if she could hear him, he doubted she would listen. She didn't listen to the good advice of his half-brother, why would she listen to his? She was terrified and yet, she remained.

Turning his attention from the odd woman to the demon, Sesshoumaru growled at the demon's audacity to call him weak, though the sound was drowned out by the noise the demon was creating. He felt a blast of power coming from her, and tried to see what was going on just out of his line of sight, but all he could manage was to catch glimpses of her back. Her scream echoed in the clearing around them, stinging his sensitive ears, and he felt himself trying to reach out once again to catch her, but the magic did not wane.

He could do nothing but sit there watching as she collapsed to the ground. Though he could not see what had become of it, Sesshoumaru no longer worried about the demon as its aura had disappeared completely. Some how the strange woman had managed to destroy a demon that should have been many times too powerful for her to handle. Not for the first time, he witnessed the woman doing something she never should have been able to do, like pulling his father's fang from its resting place.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had been staring off in space, hoping the time would pass unnoticed, when he sensed the strange woman kneeling before him. He found it odd that she was already trying to remove the arrow once again, it had not been long since her last attempt and her wounds no doubt were still bothering her. About to growl at her, hoping she would understand that it meant she needed rest, he found himself growling for another reason entirely.

She was undressing him, and worse yet, bathing him. The great demon lord, Sesshoumaru was being bathed by a human, as if this whole thing wasn't a big enough disgrace to his name. As she began to pull the clothing over his shoulders, lightly wiping a wet cloth across his skin, Sesshoumaru waited for the scent he knew would soon come. It was the same scent the demoness servants gave off whenever they bathed him at home.

A disgusting scent that made his stomach turn as they would 'accidentally' touch him inappropriately or linger in one place for too long. Each time their scents would spike, overwhelming his senses so he could smell nothing else and could even taste the scent. Then they would get to his missing arm and their scent would spike differently, in repulsion, as their faces twisted in revulsion even though they tried to hide it from him.

They would clean his arm as quickly as possible and move on, but their scents would never spike quite as much after, no matter where their hands wandered. The same servant would never return to bathe him twice, though they thought he didn't notice. They were of course beneath his notice, but he never forgot a single scent ever to cross his path. Eventually he refused to allow anyone to help him bathe, until now, though he doubted she would listen even if he told her not to.

But as he waited, she never gave off the scent he expected. Her aura never spiked with arousal or repulsion when she began cleaning his missing arm. "It's growing," she pointed out softly and for a moment Sesshoumaru worried that his body had betrayed him, only to realize she was referring to his arm. "I didn't know demons could regrow limbs, that's great," she told him, smiling. She was smiling at him? Because a wound she was indirectly responsible was healing?

As she finished with his torso, he knew the scent would come. She may have been able to keep her mind elsewhere while working on his chest, but there was no way she would be able to when proof of his gender was staring her in the face. Now she would become just like all of the other pathetic females, reeking of unsolicited arousal and desire. Showing him that she wished to bed him, playing coy as though the caresses were unintentional.

But again she did not act as he was sure she would. Instead of removing his pants completely, as she had done with his shirt, she merely rolled up his pant legs, cleaning from foot to mid thigh before stopping. Her hands never wandered where they shouldn't, never 'accidentally' brushed against his groin, her scent never spiked. He could only sense concentration and, dare he say, respect coming from her. No lust, no disgust, no ulterior motives.

"From your hips to thighs will have to stay as is, I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate me seeing your...," she stuttered, waving her hand as though the gesture finished the sentence, though he had to admit it pretty much did. It was not hard to figure out exactly what she was referring to, especially considering the slight blush that rose on her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Hopefully I will be able to release you before you have to suffer through that again."

After fixing his clothing, she picked up the cloth and bucket of water and walked away. His gaze followed her until she had walked out of his line of sight. Once she was gone, he took a deep breath of the air around him, separating each scent as he identified them. He could smell the trees and grass around him, Rin and Jaken's faint scents that still lingered, even Inuyasha's. His and even the demon's she had destroyed, and of course hers.

Filled with so many emotions from the time she had spent in this clearing, but no desire, no lust, no revulsion accept for the weakened scent from when she faced off against the demon. If she had any desire to do more than just bathe him, she hid it so well, that even his sensitive nose was unable to detect it. Once again, the strange woman was proving to him just how completely odd she really was and Sesshoumaru wondered if there was any end to it.

* * *

It had moved. It was only a tiny amount and was excruciatingly painful, but the arrow had moved. Sesshoumaru found himself mentally cheering for the odd woman, over and over in his mind it chanted wishing her luck, saying she could do it. He pushed the pain out of his mind as he concentrated only on her, watching her struggle with baited breath, until she finally fell back from exhaustion. The arrow remained.

Again she had failed, like so many times before, and Sesshoumaru felt his hope sink to dispair. He watched as Jaken entered the clearing and began speaking to her, finding a small amount of hope sparked back deep within him. She had felt it move as well, it was not just his imagination. There was still a chance all of this would end and he would be free. All he had to do was have patience, something a predator like him had in spades.

* * *

Sesshoumaru felt the first cold drops of rain pelting against his exposed skin, mentally sighing as he was not able to seek shelter from the incoming storm. The scent on the air quickly informed him that it would not be just a mere shower but a large storm, and he was stuck there to suffer through it. As the dark skies opened up and the freezing rain poured down on him, Sesshoumaru heard the woman's shriek, focusing his attention on her.

He watched in silence as she threw her strange blanket over her head and made her way over to him. When she covered him as well, he wasn't sure if he should be thankful for the shelter or annoyed at having her so close to him again. Deciding as long as she kept at least some distance he wouldn't complain, he turned his attention back to the falling rain until a clash of thunder echoed across the sky and she pressed her body against his in fear.

He let off an annoyed growl, unable to understand how someone could stand against powerful demons, himself included, could be afraid of a harmless storm. Sesshoumaru could feel the anger rolling off of her, quickly replacing her fear, as she chastised him for refusing her the slight comfort after everything she had suffered for him. Soon enough her anger was replaced by an aura of acceptance as she spoke of storms having a rainbow and karma.

As she continued, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for his actions, even though he had never asked her to, she was suffering so much pain just to try and free him. Was it really too much for her to ask for a small amount of comfort from the storm? Though truthfully, he was unsure how he was supposed to act in this situation. With the exception of Rin, no one had ever tried to do anything for him without wanting something in return.

Never before had anyone suffered such pain for his sake. Nothing had ever been done for him other than what he did with his own hands. Many times he had seen others willing to suffer for Inuyasha's sake; their father, the half-breed's mother, the dead priestess and even the strange woman sitting beside him now. But never for him. Had it been him in Inuyasha's place the night their father died, he wouldn't have died for him, he would have simply resurrected him from the dead before punishing him for being weak.

But not Inuyasha, no he had been willing to die for him, and Sesshoumaru could think of no greater sacrifice. Though she may not be willing to die for his sake, she was still willing to go through such pain all for him and, if only to himself, Sesshoumaru could admit it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her determination had him in awe, the fire in her umber eyes as she fought against the pain and fear as she tried to pull out the arrow was breathtaking. She was breathtaking.


	15. Worthy

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Worthy  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Beginner's luck  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Couple of swears  
Word Count: 2084

Prompt Summary: The battle begins

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 15 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

"You will wear this," Sesshoumaru instructed moments after returning to the small camp he had left his group in about an hour ago. Kagome glanced from him to the rather modest kimono he held within his grasp, before turning back to him in question. There was nothing wrong with her current clothing, which was her school uniform as usual, to warrant a change of clothing. And even if there was, she had her backpack with her and could easily change into something else.

Apparently understanding her confusion, he continued, "You will not dress as a harlot while in mine or Rin's presence." Startled by the cruel words, though she should have been used to it with the looks she had received in her travels, Kagome could do little else but gape at him for a few moments, stuttering as she tried to form words in her defense. Almost by instinct, as her anger began to boil over into uncontrollable territory, she screamed for him to 'sit'.

As she panted from the force of her scream and began to regain control over herself, she realized just how idiotic it had sounded, considering unlike his half-brother, he did not have a rosary around his neck and rolled her umber eyes at her actions. Huffing at him, Kagome glared at him, her hands on her hips and informed him, "I am not dressed like a harlot. Where I am from these clothes are completely normal and, in fact, there are far more inappropriate ones."

Having told him off, in her opinion anyways, Kagome grabbed the kimono from his grasp and began stomping her way toward the forest. Remembering her manners after a moment, she called over her shoulder, "Thanks!" before continuing on, quickly disappearing into the dense thicket that surrounded the small clearing they had stopped in. Grumbling under her breath about there being nothing wrong with her outfit, she began to pull her shirt up only to hear a twig snap behind her.

Spinning around, about ready to scream, she found Sesshoumaru standing there impassively, as if watching her change was a completely normal event. "Excuse you? Do you mind, I'm trying to get changed since you seem to have such a big problem with my choice of clothes. The least you could do would be to give me some privacy. Even Inuyasha doesn't watch while I dress," she informed him as she let the hem of her shirt fall back into place.

"Priestess, you are now under this Sesshoumaru's protection, any injury you suffer while under my watch is a mark against my honor. I suggest you get used to the idea of being in mine and the others' presences, as you will never be alone again," he informed her emotionlessly causing Kagome to huff at him once again. Mumbling about how it didn't seem like her honor mattered, she turned her back and quickly began changing, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

As she allowed her skirt to slip off of her hips, she stared at the kimono, trying to remember how her mother had dressed her in one in the past. Hearing a strange noise behind her, Kagome forgot about the clothing for now and glanced over her shoulder to find Sesshoumaru pointedly looking elsewhere. "It would seem you were speaking the truth, priestess, about there being far more inappropriate clothing," he explained, gesturing to what she was now wearing.

Rolling her umber eyes at him, not caring that he couldn't see her, as she turned back around, she explained, "These aren't clothes, they're undergarments. If you didn't follow me, you never would have seen them so I don't want to hear about it. Technically the only male that should ever see me in these is my future husband." Deciding it didn't matter if she got the kimono put on correctly or not, she did her best to remember the steps and dressed, tying the small obi around her waist.

Straightening it out, Kagome grabbed her discarded clothing and turned back to the silently waiting demon behind her. "I would be careful what you see of my body though, or you will have to take responsibility for making me unmarriable," she warned him, not caring if it was even true or not. She doubted he knew one way or the other. Hiking up the hem of her kimono, Kagome began stomping her way back toward the camp. "It's hard enough to walk in one, how the hell does he expect me to fight in a kimono?"

* * *

Dusk had settled over the small clearing hours ago and still Kagome lay awake, staring up at the stars from beneath her sleeping bag. She sighed quietly to herself, careful not to wake the others, as she wondered why she was having a problem sleeping away from her friends, when she had no problem the week or so she was in the clearing trying to free Sesshoumaru. Though, after a moment or two of silent contemplation, she decided it was probably due to the fact that she had completely exhausted herself every day.

As she tossed around a bit, finding it almost impossible to get comfortable, she caught Sesshoumaru's attention. Staring at the strange girl for a few moments from where he sat, leaning back against a nearby tree, he ventured, "Why are you still awake? We shall set out first thing after dawn, get some rest while you can." Glancing over at him, noticing his golden eyes were closed, Kagome sighed before turning her attention back to the star filled sky.

"It's wrong, the sounds are wrong here. I guess that even with the last week, I am still not used to sleeping without my friends nearby, or Shippo curled up in my arms. I can't feel the presence nearby, as I could before, all I feel around me is the unfamiliar. Their presence always made me feel safe and warm and, here, all I feel is cold and disconnection," she told him as she watched a star twinkle out of existence only to be replaced by an even brighter one.

"You believe this Sesshoumaru is incapable of protecting you as your friends did?" he inquired after a few moments of silence had settled over them. She could tell by his tone that he found the idea insulting and quickly shook her head indicating that it was not what she meant. Glancing over to where he was sitting, she found him staring at her, his golden eyes slightly glowing in the light of the moon.

"Not incapable, Sesshoumaru, unwilling. I know you believe it is your responsibility to protect me because of the sword and the whole being loyal to you now bit, but it's not what I feel from you. I guess what I am trying to say is the difference is between being able and wanting to protect me. They always did it willing, happily, knowing I would do the same if the roles were reversed. We had friendship and love, which always surrounded me in warmth.

"You have no warmth, no heat towards me like Inuyasha does, because we have no real history. You feel like Inuyasha did the first night we camped together right after I had released him from the God Tree. He was cold and unfeeling towards me then too," she explained before sighing and turning back toward the sky, memories of the past surfacing in her mind. Kagome couldn't help but smile sadly to herself as she thought of how long it took Inuyasha to really open up to her.

"How were you able to release him on the first try? What was so different from the arrow that bound me?" he questioned without a hint of anger or annoyance in his voice. Truthfully, Kagome could detect no emotion from him whatsoever. Shrugging in response to his questions, she mumbled something about it being 'beginner's luck'. Deciding to give up on getting a real answer, as she most likely didn't know why, he changed the subject, "If you see this Sesshoumaru as cold and unfeeling, why did you suffer through so much pain just to release me?"

"You were worth saving. You have warmth when you speak to Rin, and even with Jaken, it is just to me that you are cold," she explained before the two of them fell into silence once again. Just as she was beginning to finally drift off to sleep, she remember something she had been wanting to ask him. "Did you know the consequences of resurrecting me with the sword before you used it?" After a moment of not receiving an answer, Kagome decided it was a yes and prompted, "Then why?"

"You, too, were worth saving," was all he said before he closed his golden eyes and the silence settled over the small clearing once again. Deciding he wasn't going to elaborate any further, Kagome followed suit as she felt herself falling asleep. Once he was sure she was completely out, judging by her deep, even breathing, Sesshoumaru continued, "Anyone who can take my breath away, is worth saving."

* * *

The next morning had dawn bright and early and, just as he had said they would, Sesshoumaru's group had began walking soon after the sun had first appeared on the horizon. Already used to Inuyasha's insane pace, Kagome found the older brother's to be much more manageable. They weren't slow by any count, but it was still slow enough for her to walk herself rather than having to be carried on Inuyasha's back, though in this case it would have been Ah-Un's back that was offered to her.

Though the pace mattered little either way as after only a few minutes of walking, Kagome felt a strong sense of foreboding, causing a shiver that was not due to the chilly morning air. "Naraku," she whispered, realizing the overwhelming, tainted power she felt was coming from the mostly completely jewel he held in his possession. Seeing she had Sesshoumaru's attention, she explained, "I can feel the jewel nearby. Where it is, he is."

As if to prove she was speaking the truth, the wind shifted as she spoke, bringing to Sesshoumaru's nose an all too familiar scent. Gesturing for them to stay, Sesshoumaru turned in the direction his foul stench was coming from, only to hear Kagome following after him. "Stay with Jaken where you will be safe," he instructed, believing that would be the end of the conversation. Though he quickly learned that unlike Rin, simply telling her to stay put did not work with Kagome.

"Staying with them wouldn't protect me, Sesshoumaru, it would put them in danger. If Inuyasha and the others show up at the battle, which would not be too surprising, considering we are not too far from the village, Naraku will find it strange if I am not there. He will, no doubt, send one of his incarnations to look for me since I still hold onto one of the jewel shards. If I stay with Rin, I would be leading Naraku right to her and putting her in danger.

"Besides, I am not some defenseless child, my place is in the fight with you," she insisted and could have sworn she heard him mumble something about that being debatable before he turned to give her the slightest of nods. As he summoned his cloud of power beneath his feet, lifting himself into the air, Sesshoumaru grabbed onto the back of Kagome's kimono, bringing her along. Squeaking at the strange way of being carried, Kagome held her kimono down, making sure it didn't ride up too far and show off her thighs, or worse.

With the added speed the were using, it was no more than a few minutes before they reached the battle, quickly spotting Inuyasha, Kouga and the others already fighting with Naraku. As Kagome went to ask Sesshoumaru to release her, hoping Naraku wouldn't notice her with the 'wrong' brother, she realized she was already too late. The moment they had arrived, Naraku had turned his attention to her with a taunting smirk.

"Another priestess betray you already, Inuyasha? What's wrong, not demon enough for them?" Naraku mocked as he turned back to Inuyasha, chuckling darkly. Rolling her umber eyes at him, silently praying Inuyasha wouldn't let him gloat him into losing his temper, Kagome unshouldered her bow and notched her first arrow just as Sesshoumaru joined the battle.


	16. Voluntarily obligated

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Voluntarily obligated  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Horror  
Genre: Drama, Action, Angst

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: T

Warnings: Implied character death.  
Word Count: 1000

Prompt Summary: The battle with Naraku ends.

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 16 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Kagome screamed in pain as an attack by one of the incarnations sent her flying backwards after connecting to her stomach. As she flew across the field, she felt her body collide with a solid form, strong arms snaking around her waist, protecting her from the hard landing that she was expecting. Glancing over her shoulder, she went to thank Inuyasha for catching her only to find it was a completely different half-demon that had her in his arms.

Realizing the danger she was in, Kagome pushed forward, trying to get away from him but his hold refused to give. She felt herself shiver as he chuckled darkly close to her ear. "Do not expect to be rescued, my incarnations will keep your friends too busy for them to save you. Both you and your shard are now mine," he whispered, his lips so close to her ear that she could feel his hot, putrid breath fan across her skin.

Taking her eyes off of him, she quickly scanned the clearing to find his words were correct. Even as her friends tried to come to her aid, the incarnations closed in around them, cutting off their path to her. Feeling a strange sensation in her legs, Kagome turned back toward Naraku to find he had begun absorbing her body while she had been distracted. As she screamed and fought against him in horror, he created a shield around them, blocking off her last hope of being rescued.

Forcing herself to ignore the nauseating way his touch made her feel, she took a deep breath before whispering too softly for him to hear, "If I die, you die with me." Calling up every ounce of power she possessed, Kagome pushed it all into his body from where they were connected, causing him to scream in outrage and pain. Instantly she could feel him trying to break their connection, wanting to stop the flood of holy power that was burning him from the inside out.

Not about to let that happen, Kagome grabbed as big a lock of his hair as she could and held onto it with all of her strength, preventing him from moving far enough away to disentangle their bodies. "Stupid girl, you will kill us both!" he screeched in her ear as he struggled against her hold. Though her strength was usually nothing compared to his, because of their close contact, he was unable to get any leverage to overpower her.

"It is okay, Naraku, it is worth dying for. I do not fear dying with you today. You see, everything you have done since I shattered the jewel, everything is on my head. This is my atonement," she told him calmly before lowering her voice to make sure even the dog demons would be unable to hear her. "See what you don't know, is that I have always planned on dying with you to make up for my sins. I will fix my mistakes and you, Naraku, are my biggest.

"By allowing you access to the shards, by shattering it in the first place, I created a monster. Today your reign of horror will end and so will my nightmares. Consider it to be my obligation, one of many that I took voluntarily. In fact, it's the last one I have yet to see through, since with our deaths, the jewel will reconnect and Inuyasha can wish it away," she whispered, her voice overflowing with despair. Not for having to die but because she had been unable to stop him before so many people had lost their lives.

As she continued to pump her holy powers into their connection, she could see his demonic features already beginning to bled away, revealing more human-like characteristics in their wake. She could feel herself becoming weaker, all of her energy wrapped up in preventing him from separating their bodies. Barely able to keep herself conscious, she used the last little bit of her strength to whisper, "Save a spot in hell for me, Naraku."

* * *

"Kagome!" a half a dozen voices screamed as they saw Naraku's shield fade away. With nothing left to keep them floating in mid air, their two bodies began to drift toward the ground, seemingly in slow motion for everyone watching. Distracted by the sudden loss of power, the incarnations simply stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally finding an opening in their defense, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru rushed toward the falling priestess.

Faster than his half-brother, Sesshoumaru managed to get to her first and caught her almost lifeless body in his arms just before she would have hit the ground. Seating himself on the lush, grassy carpet, he pulled her into his lap as he searched her body for signs of life. Though he was able to find a faint pulse, he could easily tell that it was quickly fading. Arriving next to his brother, Inuyasha dropped to his knees as he too searched his friend for proof that she still lived.

"Save her," he demanded as he caught the sound of her fading heart beat. "Use that sword of yours again and save her," he pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion as he turned his tear filled gaze on his half-brother. Unable to speak, the rest of the group simply stood around the three of them, all eyes on Kagome as they each prayed for her to be okay. Not hearing a response from his brother quickly enough in his opinion, Inuyasha prompted, "Do it."

"This Sesshoumaru can not," he whispered so softly that Inuyasha was barely able to hear it. "The fang can only be used on a person once," he explained before glancing up at his brother, gold eyes, that mirrored each other, locking gazes. The seconds ticked on as though an eternity passed between each as everyone simply stared in horrified silence at the information. Finally after what seemed like forever, he whispered, "I can not save her."


	17. Interweaving Departures

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

**Title: Interweaving Departures**  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: For Keeps  
Genre: Drama, Action, Angst  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Character deaths, slight dark undertones.  
Word Count: 2161  
Prompt Summary: The death of the a half-demon and a human.  
Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 17 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

"Anyone catch the license plate number of that truck?" Kagome grumbled, greeted by a pounding headache as she regained consciousness. Confused as to why no one was making comments about her strange questions, she slowly opened her umber eyes only to reclose them a moment later, wishing she hadn't opened them in the first place. The blinding, white light that surrounded her only furthered to worsen her headache and she found herself wanting to keep her eyes closed forever.

Knowing doing so would get her no where, Kagome began to open her eyes once again, blinking a few times until she was able to adjust to the bright light. Glancing around and finding nothing else besides the white, emptiness, she became even more confused. This was not what she had been expecting. "Where's the fire? The brimstone? The little imp devils with pitchforks who mock you? This is definitely not the hell I was expecting.

"Maybe I'm still in limbo and haven't crossed over yet," she wondered as she shrugged her shoulders and stood, glancing around again to see if anything had changed. Seeing nothing had, Kagome found herself wondering what she was supposed to do next. "Anybody out there?" she called out, figuring it couldn't hurt to try. "Is there a guide book? So I take a number? What? Hello!" She knew she was beginning to sound like a lunatic, but as there didn't seem to be anyone around, she figured it didn't really matter.

"You must make the wish," a voice instructed out of no where, causing Kagome to spin around as she tried to locate its owner. Still unable to spot anyone, and confused as to what wish the limbo voice was referring to, she simply stood there in silence. "You must make the wish on the jewel," the voice explained, almost as if it could read her confused thoughts. Deciding to ignore the strange fact that someone in limbo knew she had a connection to the jewel, Kagome simply shrugged it off before answering.

"The wish in not mind to make and I no longer have possession of the jewel. I can't exactly make a wish on something I do not have, if I could, I would have done it years ago. Besides the wish belongs to Inuyasha. He's the one you need to be talking to," Kagome insisted as she gave up trying to figure out which direction the voice was coming from and just randomly picked one to face. After a moment of silence, she began to wonder if the voice had listened and went off in search of her friend, but soon learned this was not the case.

"No, the wish does not belong to the half-breed, only a priestess can make the true wish and destroy the jewel. The Shikon no Tama began with a priestess and must end with one. Only you can make the wish that would remove the jewel from the world permanently," the voice insisted, causing the already confused girl to become even more so. She had never heard anything about a priestess having to make the wish, in fact, Kikyou had wanted Inuyasha to make the wish and she usually knew more about this stuff than Kagome did.

Deciding to put her questions about why aside for now, Kagome focused more on the how. "I do not know what wish to make. Can you tell me what I am supposed to wish for that wouldn't backfire? Maybe give me some small hint? Because knowing my luck, I'd say world peace only to have every living thing in the entire world disappear. Since honestly, that's the only real way to get world peace. So any suggestions?"

"It does not matter what you wish for, there is no wrong answer. It is simply that the wish is made that is important, not what was wished for." Hearing these words did little to help ease Kagome's mind or clear up some of her confusion. There was always a wrong answer to every question, therefore there had to be some wishes that should never be spoken, ones that would backfire or had a different effect than what was really wanted.

Deciding the lack of selflessness in whatever she ended up wishing for was probably her biggest concern, Kagome told the voice as much. "Selfless is not as difficult as you may believe. You merely can not wish to improve your own life. That is the only way for your wish to be selfish. Any wish made to improve another life is acceptable," the limbo voice explained, thought Kagome was beginning to be certain that she wasn't in limbo, but where she really was she had no idea.

Thinking over the possibilities in her mind, Kagome found herself disliking each one more than the last. Even if she really did not have to worry about being selfless, there were too many things she could wish for and none of them felt like they were the 'right' wish. Sighing in defeat, Kagome bowed her head as she told the voice, "It is too much responsibility for someone like me. The wish should be made by someone who wouldn't screw things up, who hasn't already."

"The wish is your obligation which you accepted the moment you did not return to your own time. When you chose to remain in the past seeking to collect the shards. A journey is pointless if there is no destination, the wish is yours. The jewel was born within you because it is you that was meant to erase it from existence," the voice informed her before falling into silence once again to allow Kagome time to think.

The seconds dragged on like hours in silence as she went back over everything she had previously discarded as wishes until the voice once again prompted her to make the wish. Biting back a retort about patience being a virtue, Kagome inquired, "What about wishing to correct my mistake? Would that work or would it count as one to improve my own life?"

"The wish is acceptable, but remember this is it. No second chances, whatever you wish is for keeps. If this is truly what you want, then simply wish for it."

* * *

As she drew in a deep, shaky breath, Kagome began to regain consciousness, slowly opening her umber eyes to find herself gazing up into golden orbs. Confused and not quite awake, she simply stared up into his eyes for a few moments as she tried to remember what was going on. Hearing Inuyasha called her name, she glanced over at him, finding the others sitting around, gazing at her with worry filled eyes.

"What happened?" she inquired as she decided to give up on trying to remember herself, but before any of them were able to answer her, flashes began zooming through her mind. As they did, one word appeared and she whispered it to them in question, "Naraku?" Instead of answering her, Inuyasha stepped aside and gestured to where Kouga was standing over him. As understanding dawned on her, Kagome gasped in shock, slowly rising to her feet and climbing out of Sesshoumaru's lap.

"He's...," she began as she made her way over to them, stuttering as she tried to take in what she was seeing. "He's human," she finally managed as she stopped just a few feet from him and stared down at the one time half-demon. "When I purified him, it didn't kill him? Just killed his demon side?" she inquired as she turned back to glance between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. Though the older demon remained stoic as usual, the younger nodded his head.

"I was about ready to finish the job, just wanted to make sure you were alright first," Inuyasha explained as he began following the same path she had just taken as he unsheathed his sword and stalked his way to his prey. "It's about time we end this for good. Say goodbye, Naraku," he instructed even as he began to swing his sword down toward his head, but before it was able to reach its destination, his hand was stayed by Kagome.

"You can not kill him, Inuyasha," she insisted as he glanced down at her hand on his wrist in confusion before turning his attention to her. Unable to understand, after everything, why Kagome did not want him to die, Inuyasha began to scream at her that he deserved to pay for what he had done. "Of course he does, but it can not be by your hand," she told him, only to received an even more confused look in response.

Before she could explain further, she caught Kouga moving toward her out of the corner of her eye, claws raised and prepared to attack. "Or by yours, Kouga. Neither of you can be the one to end his life," she insisted, thoroughly confusing both of them as they turned to her in shock. "Sesshoumaru must be the one, it can only be done by his hand. I can not allow either of you to dirty your hands with this."

"You're just saying that because your loyalty now lies with him, Kagome. I understand you can't control that, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you take away my revenge. I've earned the right to give him justice after what he did to Kikyou," he insisted as he wrenched his arm out of her grasp and turned back toward Naraku, ready to use force to prevent her from stopping him if the need arose as he began closing the distance between them once again.

"It is not because of who I am now loyal to or not, Inuyasha. You can not be allowed to kill him simply because he is now a defenseless human. It is no longer Naraku who lies before you, but the man Onigumo. I know you, Inuyasha, better than you even know yourself and you could never forgive yourself if you were to take the life of someone who could not defend themselves. Kouga can not take his life because he has already promised to never take another human life.

"It has to be Sesshoumaru because killing him, will do no damage to himself. Getting revenge for those that you lost will only leave you feeling hollow, killing him will change nothing for you. Everything that has already happened, will remain so. It has to be by his hand because his revenge has nothing to do with pain and suffering that was inflicted upon him or someone he loved, but merely a bruised ego.

"You can hate me if you wish, but you need to know that this is for your own good. By stopping you, I am saving you. No matter where my loyalty now lies, who you are to me will never change and I would never do something to hurt either of you. By stopping you now, I am protecting you," she insisted as her eyes pleaded with them to understand that she had their best interest at heart. Though they both looked pissed off at her, a warning that it wasn't over, they stopped trying to advance on him.

Glancing over at Sesshoumaru, she gave him a slight nod before turning her back to the now human Naraku. She may have had no intention of saving him, but that didn't mean she could stand to watch as a human life was taken, no matter how evil he may have been. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on what was happening behind her and the moment she heard his strangled death cry, she knew the sound would haunt her for the rest of her life.

He was evil, a monster, he had killed countless innocents for no other reason than to torture those left behind. He had turned loved ones against each other, tricked and manipulated, rained down death and destruction all for his sick pleasure. He was vile and deserved to die and though she could not have his death weighting over their heads, she knew it would over hers. She had turned her back on another human being, been the one to sentence him to his death.

She had not died and gone to hell with him as she had originally planned, so she figured that perhaps this was the atonement the Kami had in store for her. But if it meant she could spare those she loved from the nightmares she would no doubt encounter after today, then it was worth it. If she could make up even the slightest amount for what her mistake caused, than she would accept her fate willingly. As long as they were safe and, hopefully one day, happy, then that was all that matter.


	18. Lingering Presence

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Lingering Presence  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Skin  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: None  
Word Count: 1600  
Summary: A nightmare after the battle.

AN: Part 18 of Voluntary Obligation. Sorry these next chapters took so long to post, with the move I completely forgot lol.

"It is time," Sesshoumaru informed Kagome, waiting on the edge of the clearing for her. Giving him a quick nod, to let him know she had heard and understood, she turned back to the others with a soft smile. She knew this could very well be the last time she saw them, at least for a long time to come, as it was doubtful their paths would cross again with the threat of Naraku gone. But even so, she could find no words to speak to them.

No good luck, be safe or goodbye. No words of encouragement. "Kagome?" Inuyasha began, bringing her attention back to the present and away from trying to think of what to say to them. "What happened to the jewel? It disappeared, including the shards in Kouga's legs, when you purified Naraku," he pointed out, reminding her that she had completely forgotten about the jewel with the recent events.

"The jewel is gone, its wish has been used. I am sorry I could not give it to you, Inuyasha, but I was informed that a priestess had to make the wish," Kagome explained, watching as he glanced down before gesturing himself. Without him having to say it, she knew he was questioning what she had wished for as he had remained as he was. No doubt he was expecting to become either a full demon or human as they had been the original plans.

"I used the wish to correct my first mistake," she told them, only to have the others look at her in confusion. Chuckling softly to herself, Kagome pointed away from where they were standing, to where she caught sight of a demon waiting patiently. Instantly Shippo recognized who it was and rushed toward him, calling out for his father. Smiling at his retreating form, she turned back to Inuyasha, bowing her head. "I wanted to use the wish to bring Kikyou back for you, but I felt I could do more good by correcting my mistake.

"Kikyou was not a part of it because she died long before I was ever born, the wish could not bring back her more recent form," she explained to him sadly before turning toward the others, whom simply stood by in silence. "Those that were killed because I shattered the jewel should be at home waiting for your return. Goodbye," she whispered, as they tried to figure out what she was talking about, before turning and walking toward where Sesshoumaru was waiting. Seeing Kagome nod her readiness, he turned and began heading back to where he had left the others.

* * *

"We will rest here for the night," Sesshoumaru instructed as they made their way into the camp, greeted by Rin and Jaken. Giving him a smile of appreciation, as his reason was, most likely, the fact that she was still worn out from the battle, as it was far earlier than their usual stopping time, Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag and quickly climbed in. The moment she closed her eyes she was out and Sesshoumaru simply stared at her in amazement for a moment before turning toward the others.

Already used to the strange behavior, Rin and Jaken simply shrugged to each other before going back to their quiet game of tag that had been interrupted by their arrival. Knowing he would take care of any needs the girls might have during his absence, Sesshoumaru turned and made his way back out into the forest. Though, as always, he did not let it show on the outside, inside he was seething. While the others remained unaware of what she was doing, he had a clear line of sight on her battle with Naraku.

There was only one explanation for her actions; she was trying to kill herself right along with the half-breed. She dared try to end her own life on his watch, when it was his responsibility to protect her. She tried to sully his name and his word, making him out to seem too weak to protect a single human life. If it wasn't for the fact that doing so would finish what she had started, he would kill her himself for the offense against him.

As it was, if he had stayed in camp he wasn't sure she would make it through the night unharmed. Sesshoumaru wouldn't kill her of course, but inflicting some pain would bring him satisfaction. Deciding she would be far safer if he left the camp until he had the chance to calm down, he began to search the surrounding forest for any signs of a nearby demon to take out his frustrations on. Catching the scent of one on the air, Sesshoumaru turned toward it with a dark smirk adorning his face.

Tonight he was going to hunt, stalk his unsuspecting prey through the woods like the predator he is, bask in the afterglow of the chase, smell its rancid fear when it senses him though unable to discover his location. For as long or as short a time as he desires, he will be able to forget about everything else but his prey, tune his senses into that one being, as though none other existed. He will hunt, it'll run and he'll give chase.

This night the still unaware demon would fall before him, drenched in its own blood while he remained untouched and unharmed. It would never even get the chance to see its killer's face as Sesshoumaru would stalk from the shadows, always remaining just out of sight, knowing it would terrify the prey that much more. The stench of fear would soon be the only smell in the air, overpowering all else including the surrounding greenery. Soon the chase would be on.

* * *

With a silent scream, Kagome awoke in a cold sweat, perspiration dripping from every pore, her heart thundering in her chest. Whatever her nightmare had been about, had been forgotten the moment she awoke, but a lingering feeling continued to crawl across her skin, on the surface and under it. Scratching her arms, as if the frenzied actions might some how erase the non-existent presence within her veins, Kagome bolted upright glancing around the camp.

Though her tired and groggy mind had no idea what it was she was searching for in the clearing, she could tell it wasn't there and felt fear's grip anew on her heart. As her adrenaline began to rise with every beat of her pounding heart, her terror becoming more and more pronounced, the sensation in her arms began to increase, as though whatever was under her skin had begun to multiply. Knowing of nothing else she could do, Kagome bolted out of her sleeping bag and took off into the forest.

Arriving at the scene just as the frightened girl was running passed, unaware of his presence, Sesshoumaru watched her actions confused. He could sense no other being in the vicinity, threatening or not, besides his companions, and the two still sleeping seemed unaware of whatever it was that had her running scared. Tapping the sleeping toad demon with his boot, Sesshoumaru commanded a quick, "Watch Rin," before disappearing the way Kagome had gone a few moments before.

Confused, but knowing better than to disobey his lord's order, Jaken turned to the sleeping child before shrugging and beginning to rebuild the dying fire. As he began to stroke it, the flames rising up with renewed vigor, he glanced around the clearing, realizing the newest human to follow them was no longer there. Hoping his lord knew where she was and wouldn't blame her disappearance on his inability to watch over them, Jaken quietly sat back, warming his hands over the fire.

Out in the forst, where it opened up into a small patch of treeless land, Kagome found what she was searching for and dived into the freezing waters of the river without bothering to remove a single article of clothing. Forcefully rubbing the chilly water against her arms, she tried to remove the feeling of something crawling beneath her skin, but found her clothing to be hampering her attempts to scrub her skin raw.

The thought of someone coming across her midnight bathing never coming to mind, Kagome yanked off her sopping wet clothing, barely managing to keep them from ripping before tossing them onto the muddy shore. As goosebumps began to ripple across her flesh, she paid them little mind as she rubbed and scratched at her arms, causing her skin to redden and pimple with tiny, white bumps. Too wrapped up in her attempts to releave the sensations, she didn't noticed the new arrival in the clearing.

Truth be told, even if she had, it was doubtful that it would have mattered to her as, in her opinion, there were more important things to focus her attention on. Confused by her continued strange behavior, Sesshoumaru simply stared at her in silence for a long moment before becoming annoyed that she still didn't seem to sense his presence. "What are you doing? And stop scratching at your skin, it's already red enough."

"I can't get it off," Kagome told him as she turned back with frightened, umber eyes, pinning him with a look that pleaded for help. Unsure of what she was referring to, as he could not see anything on her flesh to cause such terror, Sesshoumaru simply remained silent, hoping she would elaborate further. After a few moments, she did. "It's under my skin, on my skin, in my veins and I can't get it out. It's him: Naraku."


	19. Temporary Insanity

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

**Title: **Temporary Insanity  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Closet  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Implied nudity  
Word Count: 1515  
Summary: Heading West for the winter.

AN: Part 19 of Voluntary Obligation.

Utterly shocked by the insane words the girl was sprouting, Sesshoumaru simply stood there in silence for a long moment, staring at her. Whatever he was expecting her to do, it was not what she did next. She started to cry, thick, salty tears plopping into the cold water, disappearing within its depths. Her umber eyes pleaded for his help, though he had no idea how to help someone who had apparently become ill in the mind.

"Get him out of me," she pleaded as she went back to scratching at her arms, the long since raw skin becoming even more red with her actions. Seeing him unmoved by her frenzied words, Kagome began to glance around, as though looking for a closet to hide in. Finding no sanctuary, she turned back to him, still standing out on the shore, staring at her in silence. "Don't just stand there Sesshoumaru, get him out of me!" she demanded hysterically as she thrusts her arms toward him.

"He is not under your skin. The half-breed has been destroyed completely. You are simply feeling the lingering effects of when he tried to absorb you. Now come out of the water before you make yourself ill," Sesshoumaru instructed as he glanced around for her towel only to find the only things she had brought with her were her sopping wet clothes that littered the ground around his feet. Sighing inaudibly, he turned back to her only to find her backing away from him, further into the freezing water.

"Woman, what do you think you are doing? Get out of the water this instant. You will not like the consequences if I have to come in and get you myself," he warned, not at all happy about the idea of having to get into the water himself. Shaking her head forcefully, Kagome turned her back and dived into the water in a frightened attempt to get away from him, though her reasons for it he couldn't be sure of.

Sesshoumaru's jaw dropped unnoticeably as he realized he would in fact be getting wet tonight. Growling at the fleeing woman, he began to wade his way into the water, not bothering to remove his clothing, least she drown while he was busy undressing. Watching her swim underwater away from him, he quickly sped up and moved in front of her, grabbing onto her as she crashed into him. Dragging her struggling body out of the water, he unceremoniously tossed her over his shoulder and began making his way back to the shore.

"You will settle down or I will knock you out," he threatened her as she began to kick and pound against his body in attempt to get him to release her. Instead of his warning having the desired effect, her struggles became more frenzied and, having had enough, Sesshoumaru reached back and promptly knocked her unconscious, careful not to hit her any harder than needed. Finally free of her assault, he turned her in his arms until he was carrying her princess style, placing his Mokomoko-sama across her to cover her nude body.

Quickly making his way back to camp, Sesshoumaru paid Jaken's questioning glances little attention as he stopped next to her sleeping bag and tried to place the unconscious woman inside, only to find her hands refused to release his shirt. Growling at her softly, careful not to wake up Rin, he attempted to release her grip, only to have her begin to whine. Giving up, as she would no doubt go back to being hysterical the moment she awoke, Sesshoumaru made his way toward the nearest tree and sat at its base.

Turning toward the still curious toad demon, Sesshoumaru instructed, "Bring her strange blanket." Giving a slight nod, Jaken quickly climbed to his feet to do as he was told, unzipping the bag completely before bringing it over to the odd pair. Handing it over to his lord, he watched as the larger demon gently laid it over her before heading back to the fire to continue stroking the fire. "Before dawn, after she has eaten, take Rin and head West. We will follow later."

"Very well, lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken replied with a slight bow, knowing no matter how curious he was, it was better, and safer, for him to simply follow his lords orders. Eventually he would hear the answers he wanted anyways. Turning his attention away from the small toad demon, Sesshoumaru glanced down at the bundle in his arms wondering what had caused her to lose her composure to such a state.

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched as the other members of his group walked away from the camp until they could no longer be seen before turning his attention to the waking woman in his arms. She began to stretch only to smack into his chest, causing her to wrinkle her nose in confusion. As uncertain umber eyes opened, they found themselves staring into annoy golden orbs. "Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned before a large yawn split her face.

Trying to sit up, she found herself held in place by an arm draped across her stomach and carefully lifted the sleeping bag to find not only that it was in fact his, but that she was completely naked. Doing a double take, in case she had seen things wrong, Kagome found herself even more confused when she realized she hadn't. "Where do I even start?" she mumbled out loud to herself before turning her eyes back to him.

"Why am I in your lap? And why am I naked? What the hell happened last night?" she inquired, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answers. Instead of answering immediately, Sesshoumaru simply continued to stare at her annoyed and after a moment, she realized what he was waiting for. Blushing slightly, she began to rise to her feet, this time unheeded by his arm, careful to keep her blanket wrapped around herself.

"You went insane last night," he explained cryptically as he watched her go through her bag and begin to dress in front of him, keeping the blanket blocking his view. Further confused by his words, Kagome turned back to him in shock. "You had it in your head that Naraku was under your skin. You rushed from camp, removed your clothing and jumped into the freezing water. When this Sesshoumaru tried to explain you were perfectly fine, you became hysterical and tried to attack me.

"It resulted in me knocking you unconscious and bringing you back to camp. Then you refused to release this Sesshoumaru when I tried to put you into your bedding. Do refrain from doing so again," he instructed before rising to his feet and heading toward the edge of camp to wait for her to finish up. "We will be heading in the direction of the river, you can gather your forgotten clothing on the way," he informed her.

"It was a nightmare," she explained ignoring his comment as she gathered up the rest of her belongings and stuffed them into her backpack. As she finished up and stood beside him, Sesshoumaru began making his way out of camp with her following. "I was dreaming that I could hear him speaking to me and he told me that part of his essence remained within me. I can't believe that I actually ran out of camp and stripped naked though."

"This Sesshoumaru assures you that you did," he commented emotionlessly to her, stopping in the clearing near the river and waited for her to gather up her still soaked clothing before continuing on in the direction he had sent Jaken and Rin earlier. "The seasons are changing soon, I will be dropping you and the others off at one of my havens for the winter. It is where we are heading to now," he informed her after a few moments of silence.

"Let me get this straight, the others and I will be held up in some hut or cave somewhere while you continue to wander your land for the entire winter? Sorry but that is not a good idea. I am used to being constantly on the move. I don't do well with just sitting around, I'll go stir crazy. Can't I just continue to follow you around while the others stay there?" she pleaded as she effortlessly kept up with his long strides, having been used to Inuyasha going much faster.

"We shall see," Sesshoumaru replied, not really in the mood to discus the idea of being stuck alone with her for an entire season. However, he could understand where she was coming from, he himself hated to be left at home when his father went on his rounds when he was a pup. Though for now, he decided to not worry about it as they had a long walk ahead of them before they even got to the point where he needed to make a decision.


	20. Soaked through and still kicking

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

**Title:** Soaked through and still kicking  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Conscience  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Violence, few cuss words.  
Word Count: 2443  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: Opposite sides face off.

AN: Part 20 of Voluntary Obligation. Yay I finished it in time :).

"I shall return halfway through the season to check on you. Guard Rin, Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered before turning and walking away without another word. Not used to such an abrupt parting, Kagome simply stared at him in silence from her place beside Rin, watching as he made his way out of the hut, leaving her behind. Turning toward the others in question, as he neither told her to follow or stay, she was met by two shrugging shoulders.

Deciding the worst he could do was make her go back, Kagome returned their shrugs before following out after him, calling a quick goodbye over her shoulder to the others. Catching sight of his long, silver hair a moment before he disappeared into the surrounding forest, she rushed to catch up with him as she readjusted the straps of her backpack. "Would it kill him to slow down?" Kagome grumbled out loud to herself, completely ignoring the fact that he probably didn't even know she was following him.

About to call out to inform him of this, she glanced up just in time to spot him standing in her path, stopping herself just before she would have crashed into him. "Rin is not this slow," he pointed out emotionlessly before turning back in the direction he had been heading and continuing on. Rolling her umber eyes at the insult, Kagome squared her shoulders and followed after, careful to keep her pace matching his.

"You do realize that you never actually told me that I could stay with you during the Winter, correct? Heck I only went by the fact that you didn't tell me to stay there. Can I give you a tip?" she inquired, continuing before he had the chance to respond, "Humans require speech for the most part. Our instincts aren't as good as a demon's, we won't just know what you are expecting." Seeing no reason to answer her, Sesshoumaru simply continued on in silence.

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at him for the second time in as many minutes, Kagome opted instead to follow his example and allowed a hush to settle over them. Not even five minutes into the trip, she was already beginning to wonder if she wouldn't have been better off staying back with the others. The constant fast pace walking she could handle, the cold, snowy nights she didn't mind, but the silence was going to kill her.

At least back in that small, dank hut she had Rin to talk to and play with. Now all she had was an emotionless demon lord who seemed to be working on his mime impression. Snorting at the idea of Sesshoumaru dressed up and really acting like one, Kagome couldn't stop herself from laughing when the demon in question turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. "Trust me, you don't want to know," she assured him before speeding up, hoping to get his attention back on the path ahead of them.

Apparently allowing her misdirection to work, Sesshoumaru focused on where he was going, weaving his way in between trees and shrubs, effortlessly taking the lead once again. As the hours dragged on, Kagome soon found herself counting the steps she took until she tired of it, after having lost count a few times. Then she began to count the number of times he sniffed the air before turning directions, followed by the glares he sent her each time she sighed in boredom.

Just as she was about to suggest that they play a game, such as eye spy, he abruptly stopped before sniffing the air once again. Apparently catching a scent in the air, he called a quick, "Wait here," before disappearing into the surrounding forest before she could utter a protest. Deciding to obey, simply because there was no way she could catch up to him at the speed he was traveling, Kagome grumbled under her breath as she made her way to a large boulder nearby and sat down to wait.

Resting back on her hands, she glanced up at the sky to find dusk was settling and figured she would watch for shooting stars to help pass the time. Not long after the stars became visible, she saw the first one of the night and silently made a wish for something exciting to happen so the time wouldn't drag on in slow motion, boredom. "It's too bad wishes never really come true," she mumbled to herself before adding, "Well, at least not to me."

Before she had the chance to contemplate on why that was, she heard a twig snap behind her and jumped to her feet, readying her bow and arrow. The figure that greeted her, caused Kagome to grit her teeth in anger and annoyance. Hoping to be rid of her 'guest' before he returned, she lowered her weapon as she called out, "This isn't really some place you want to be. He will return soon and he will no doubt kill you.

"If you value your life, you will leave now," she warned only to be met with a sneer in response. "Who am I kidding? You wouldn't listen to me last time, I highly doubt you were able to become intelligent in the short time since our last meeting," Kagome mocked, in no mood to try and make nice, especially since she knew all of her effort would be in vain. Seeing the sneer only deepen in response, she rolled her eyes as she began to put away her weapon.

"Do you not think you will need that? I suggest you keep it out, you were lucky last time, but I can assure you that your luck has run out. I can not allow an abomination such as yourself to live, polluting the name of priestesses everywhere. I shall kill you here and now," she warned as she reached into her waistband and pulled out a small knife. In response to her threatening aura, Kagome tossed away her bow, paying it little mind as it landed a few feet away from her, soon joined by her quiver.

"No matter what you think of me, I would still rather be me, than raise my weapon against another priestess, no matter how much of an idiot she may be. You wanna fight? Fine by me, I have a few bones to pick with you anyways and would love to kick your ass, however, we do this unarmed. I wouldn't want to accidentally kill you before I could beat some common sense into that thick skull of yours," Kagome spat at her as she gestured for her to throw away her knife.

Silently the other priestess seemed to size her up for a few tense moments before finally tossing away her weapon and turning back to her, waves of confidence rolling off of her aura. Without waiting for either of them to signal the start of the fight, Kagome screamed out in rage as she jumped across the short distance between them, landing on top of her as they both crashed to the ground. As though heralding the beginning of their battle, the skies above opened up and began pelting them with large, cold drops of rain.

Returning Kagome's battle cry with one of her own, the priestess kicked the younger girl off of herself, tossing her a few feet away. The moment she was on the ground, she was already jumping back onto her feet and rushing to tackle her opponent, who had just stood as well. The forest floor already sopping wet from the rain, the two of them slid a few feet before finally coming to a stop just as Kagome reared back and punched her in the face.

Screaming in outrage, she quickly got the upper hand again, knocking Kagome off balance, this time making sure to attack before she had the chance to regain her footing. As a result, it was the futuristic girl's turn to be slammed into the ground. Soon they were rolling around in the mud, getting it caked on them as they alternated between biting, scratching and pulling each others' hair. Pulling apart after a few moments, both of them trying to catch their breath, the elder priestess backed up a few feet as she glared at Kagome.

"What happened to you to make you turn from the path and consort with those filthy things?" she spat at her as they began to circle, each looking for an opening in the other's defense, carefully watching every movement of their opponent. Instead of answering her right away, Kagome rushed toward her once again like a linebacker, plowing into her and knocking the wind out of her as she was slammed into a tree behind her.

"Unlike you, I was born with a heart, a conscience," Kagome shot back as she delivered an uppercut to her jaw before kneeing her in the gut. "I have not strayed from the path, you are the one who can not see it. And they are not the filthy ones, people and demons like you are, those that believe that simply because someone is different, it is enough reason to hate and hunt them," she spat venomously as she grabbed onto her shirt and tossed her away, watching in satisfaction as she slid across the muddy ground.

"Don't you dare compare me with those demons," she screeched, her pitch raising with each word as she struggled to rise to her feet, fighting against the slippery ground. "I am a priestess and, unlike you, I can do my job. Our entire purpose in life is to destroy those disgusting creatures. If you are incapable of doing such a simple task, perhaps you should just rid the world of your presence on your own," she suggested as she finally regained her balance and charged after her.

After being slammed into the unyielding ground, Kagome tried to slap her hands away as she began clawing at her face, but found herself having little luck due to her disadvantage from being penned beneath her. "No, you idiot, our purpose is to protect humans, not all demons are a threat to them. I have met many demons in my travels that would sooner take their own lives than to harm a human, in self defense or not. And if you want to act like a monster than I will lump you together with all of the others out there, the demons who do attack humans for no reason.

"Those that attack and burn down villages for no other reason than it was there, they are right up your alley," Kagome growled out at her, taking advantage of her being slightly off balance, as she stared at her in shock for the comparison, and quickly flipped them over so she was on top, holding her arms down above her head. "He did nothing to you, I did nothing to you and you still turned you bow on me. You tried to shoot me with a damn holy arrow! You tried to bind me!" she screeched as she clasped both of her wrists in one of her hands and used the other to begin pounding on her.

"Do you have any idea the hell I have gone through because of you? Do you have any idea how painful it is to remove one of those damn things with your bare hands? I do!" she screamed in her face, applying pressure to her wrists when she began to struggle to free herself. "For an entire week I burned my hands, over and over before they were even able to begin to heal, to try and free him. I burned and I blistered and I bled again and again, for days.

"It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life, and probably will ever, but you know what? I would do it again for him in a heartbeat and he wasn't even my friend. Hell he had tried to kill me many times before, but do you know why I allowed myself to suffer though that? Why I would do it again, no questions asked? Because it was the right thing to do! Because that is what it means to be a priestess!"

With each word of the last sentence, Kagome accented it with a punch to her face until she was unable to fight back any longer and simply laid there staring at her through swollen eyes. "I died, did you know that? Were you aware you were responsible for the death of a priestess?" she whispered harshly as she drew closer to her until her lips were just shy of touching her ear. "And still, even after all of that, I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

"That is what makes me the true priestess and you nothing more than a sorry excuse for a human. Now I am done with you. Apparently you did not learn you lesson last time when I left you without your bow, maybe you will this time when he returns to find you unconscious, lying here. That is, if you live long enough to learn better this time," she told her before punching her hard enough to knock her out. Rising to her feet, Kagome glanced up, about to try and find a place to bathe, and found Sesshoumaru standing there with an eyebrow raised in question.

Before she had the chance to speak, she saw recognition dawn in his golden eyes and stepped between them as he began to move toward her. "Leave her," she requested only to be ignored as he started to go around her. Stepping forward again, she whispered, "For me. As much as I want to wring her neck myself, I can not stand by and watch as you kill a human." Sesshoumaru paused in his step for a moment as he glanced over at her in question.

Deciding it was not worth it, as he could simply track her down at a later date when Kagome wasn't looking, Sesshoumaru gave her the briefest of nods before turning and continuing on the way they had been going earlier. "You could simply not watch," he pointed out over his shoulder, causing her to laugh at the unexpected joke, before crying out and complaining about how laughing apparently hurt as she nursed a cut on her lip.


	21. Good advice not taken

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

* * *

Title: Good advice not taken  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Powder  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: High T  
Warnings: Violence, disturbing imagery.  
Word Count: 2358  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: Another final battle.

AN: Part 21 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Early the next morning, the season's first snow had begun to powder the ground in the soft, white flakes, the brisk winter air biting at Kagome's nose as she trailed along behind Sesshoumaru, her pace slowed by the cold. Seemingly unaffected by the drastic change in temperature, he continued on as though the snow was not pelting against him as well. As Kagome snuggled deeper into her winter coat, she found herself wondering if it really didn't affect him or if he was simply good at hiding it.

An hour later and she had given up caring and was about to turn her attention to warmer thoughts when she realized she recognized the landscape around them. While she was completely certain they had been traveling in a different direction the night before, they were now currently heading toward the well. "Sesshoumaru, is it just my imagination or are we heading back toward the village?" she inquired as she quicken her pace, as best she could through the snow that was now passed her ankles, to catch up to him.

"It is merely your imagination, we are not headed to the village," he informed her before falling into silence and Kagome, figuring the conversation was over, began to warm her fingers by blowing hot air onto them. So focused on what she was doing, she was startled when he began to speak again, "We are heading to the well. You wish to return home, do you not?" he inquired and fighting the urge to explain how it was the 'same difference', Kagome simply nodded her head before smiling up at him.

"If you wish to spend the night there, very well, but if not, you need to return just after your midday meal," he instructed and too cold and happy to respond, she simply nodded her head once again. "If you are not there, I shall return the next day at sunrise. Whichever you choose, is entirely up to you," he assured her before they fell into silence once again, this time lasting until they had reached the well. Nodding to her goodbye, Sesshoumaru watched until the blue magic had disappeared from the depth of the well, sure she wasn't going to return, before turning to face the clearing's newest occupant.

"You should have heeded her warning. She may be forgiving, but this Sesshoumaru is not. Though it does not matter, you have simply saved me the time it would take to track you down," he informed her, giving the bow wielding priestess a once over, unconcerned with her readied weapon. "Do you really believe that you can harm this Sesshoumaru? Last time, you merely managed to get the shot off because I was protecting another.

"This time, there is nothing, no one to save you," he mocked smiling, though he knew the fight would not last long, merely the time it took him to cross the clearing, but more than the thrill of the battle, he was looking forward to watching as the life drained from her hate filled eyes. She had dared to bind him and no doubt would have killed him while he was unable to protect himself if the other priestess had not been there.

She had been dead since that moment, he simply had yet to kill her, but he would rectify that now. As she released her arrow, Sesshoumaru shot toward her, effortlessly side stepping the incoming projectile, and closing in on his prey. The moment he was within range, he plunged his hand into her chest, grabbing a hold of her heart and crushing it. Soundlessly the bow dropped from her fingers as she stared up at him in shock even as she crumbled upon herself.

Wrenching his hand back out, Sesshoumaru watched as her lifeless body fell to the ground, no longer having anything to keep it remaining upright. Glancing down at his blood stained hand, he breathed in the metallic smell that filled the air around him before bringing to his lips and taking an experimental lick. Scrunching his nose at the taste, he waved his hand, flinging the drops of blood into the grass. Glancing toward the well to make sure she had not returned, Sesshoumaru set to work cleaning up the mess.

* * *

"I know you're there, would it kill you to help me up?" Kagome called from the inside of the well as she slowly climbed her way toward the top, annoyed by Sesshoumaru's lack of common curtsey. As though he were debating the idea, a few moments passed before he finally reached in and pulled her out by the back of her shirt. "You could grab my arm instead you know. I swear you're going to end up ripping my clothes one of these days."

Instead of replying, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the clothing she was now wearing. The kimono he had given her had been replaced by a pair of jeans and a sweater, over which her winter coat remained unzipped. Seeing he had more interest in her fashion sense rather than what she was saying, she grumbled, "And don't even think about complaining about my clothes. Do you have any idea how cold it is walking around in a kimono? Unless you want a Kagome flavored Popsicle, I needed warmed clothes."

Not bothering to inquire as to what a Popsicle was, Sesshoumaru gently placed her on the ground before checking to make sure she had everything and turned to head out of the clearing only to be stopped by her voice. "You missed a spot, you know," she informed him, watching as he turned back with a raised eyebrow in question. Instead of answering, Kagome gestured to the stain of red on his pant leg, knowing, without having to ask, what it was.

Glancing down at it, Sesshoumaru released a small amount of his poison onto the stain, watching as it ate through the blood before dropping to the ground, sizzling the grass as it ate through it as well. As he turned and began out of the clearing once again, Kagome hurried to catch up as she questioned, "Your poison removes blood stains? Does that work on all clothing or is yours special? Cause if it does, that would be great. I can't tell you how much clothing I've had to throw away because the blood was to set in to remove in the washer."

"It works on all clothing that is not made from animals, though it would not be wise for you to be wearing them at the time. If there is a further supply of blood, it will continue until it reaches it. Though I may regret asking this, why is it you are not questioning what had happened? Usually you would have countless questions," he pointed out as he glanced down at her and for a moment she simply shrugged her shoulders until she realized he was still seeking more.

"Why bother? I already know what happened. I may be human, but contrary to popular belief, that does not automatically make me stupid. I have felt her following us, no doubt, since she first woke up from her impromptu nap. I warned her twice to stay away, she obviously did not listen. And while I may hate that a human life has been taken, I do not mourn her death. If she had not already taken a child's life simply because it was a demon, it was only a matter of time.

"I can forgive almost anything, but never that," she insisted, picking up her pace, hoping he would drop the subject. Much to her relief he did and the silence rained down on them for a long while as they traveled across the land, hoping to get some distance between them and the well before it was time to stop for the night. The hours passed unnoticed by either of them until it was too dark for Kagome to see even with the light of the moon to guide her steps.

Deciding to make camp where they were, Sesshoumaru ordered her to wait there before disappearing into the forest. Already used to his behavior, Kagome simply shrugged her shoulders as she began searching for wood to build herself a fire. Though there were only a few still dry enough for her purpose, eventually she had enough and soon had it going. As she took a seat beside it, leaning over to warm her hands, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced toward the cause.

"No," she insisted before turning away from the apparition she knew to be no more than her imagination. "You will not haunt me, I am not responsible for your death. I warned you twice to get as far away as you could, but you would not listen to me. It is your own fault," she told the form of the once living priestess, keeping her umber eyes fixed on the dancing flames before her. "I know what you are trying to do, but it will not work.

"You are my conscience picking at the back of my mind, wanting me to feel bad for happened, but I will not. Your death is not on my head, my hands are clean. I will not let you haunt me. I was not there to stop it and even if I could, I would not have turned my weapon on him to stop him. You attacked him and myself unprovoked, you followed after us, hunting him down. Hunting myself. You are responsible for your own death.

"Your own actions resulted in your demise. And even if this wasn't true, and I could have some how prevented it, I still would not have. I gave you two chances and that is two more than I ever give any other murderer. It is what you were as I doubt he was the first demon you attacked for no reason. And if you had been so lucky that he forgot about you or felt you were beneath him, not worth taking revenge on, you simply would have repeated your mistakes.

"Innocents would have died. You want me to believe that you are one, but you aren't. How many lives have you taken that didn't deserve to die? How many innocent demons have you slaughtered because of their blood? Were there any others like me? Humans you felt you had the right to kill because they associated with demons. Children? Did you slaughter any babies in the name of what is pure and good? They are the innocent, you are the villain in this story.

"I do not regret what happened, your death means nothing to me. I will not shred a tear over you, because nothing you did in life deserved them. I will not lose one moment of sleep tossing and turning over you. Though it may not seem so at this moment, my conscience is clear," she insisted before turning toward where the figure had been, finding it had already disappeared with her words. "And stay gone," she demanded, turning her attention back to the glowing flames.

"Do you speak to yourself often?" an amused voice inquired as its owner arrived back at the clearing just in time to overhear her final words. Glancing over at Sesshoumaru, Kagome simply shrugged her shoulders before noticing the bundle he carried in his hands. Seeing the question in her eyes, he tossed it to her explaining, "They are warmer clothing than a kimono. And far more appropriate than those tight enough to be a second skin."

"Thank you," she replied, ignoring his barb about her jeans as she quickly removed her modern day clothing and put on those he had given her. As she was putting on her jacket once more, she noticed the inquiring glance he was giving her and realized he wasn't going to let the matter drop. Sighing, Kagome took her seat as she explained, "My conscience was trying to haunt me, I was refusing to let it. It is simply my personality, I feel guilty about things that I had no hand in. But this time, I will not let myself feel that way."

Understanding what she meant, even if he couldn't relate, Sesshoumaru simply nodded his head before taking a seat beside her, sitting much closer to the fire than he usually did. Knowing what she would ask without having to wait for her to voice it, he explained, "To give you the extra body heat. The temperature will continue to drop over night and you will freeze before morning if I do not." Giving him a slight nod, she began to pull her sleeping bag out and unrolled it.

As she went to sit upon it and cover herself up, she found herself lifted into his arms as he took her seat, draping the blanket across her. Confused by him allowing the contact, let alone initiating it, Kagome simply stared up at him in silence. "You will be warmer this way. If you mention it to anyone, I will simply deny it," he informed her, a slightly joking tone to his voice. Giggling softly to herself, Kagome curled up in his lap, laying her head against his chest.

"Like anyone would believe me anyways," she joked back as she closed her eyes, allowing a soft smile to spread across her face. She could feel the stir of feelings deep within her, awoken by the softer side of him that no one else, besides perhaps Rin, seemed to know about. Already having felt these feelings once before, she knew what they would eventually lead to, but paid them little mind. There was no way for her to stop them from developing even if she wanted to and at the very least, falling in love with Sesshoumaru would at least give her something to do during the long, cold winter.


	22. Natural or Greek birth?

Title: Natural or Greek birth?  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Marathon  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Use of the W word.  
Word Count: 1831  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: Kagome spots someone she wished to never see again.  
AN: Part 22 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

"You know, Sesshoumaru, the key to winning a marathon is slow and steady. Well for humans anyways. Seriously, do we have a destination we are rushing toward or are we just getting no where fast?" Kagome inquired annoyed at the pace he had been keeping for the last few days. They had been rushing toward, who knows where, every day from dawn until after dusk since the day she had returned from the other side of the well and he seemed disinclined to explain the reasons behind it.

Seeing the glare he sent back to her, Kagome huffed, "Don't give me that look. In case you have forgotten, I have much shorter legs than you. It takes me at least two steps just to match one of yours, which means I practically have to run full speed all day long. You do remember what it's like to have short legs right?" After a moment's pause to think over her words, Kagome continued, "You were a child at some point right? Or were you like Athena?"

Receiving nothing but a confused look, Kagome explained, "She's a Greek Goddess in mythology. Apparently when she was born, she sprang from Zeus's, her father and King of the Gods, head fully grown and in battle armor. I can actually see you doing that." After a few minutes of silence passed between them, receiving nothing more than a strange look from Sesshoumaru, Kagome found herself becoming even more annoyed at the quiet demon lord.

"Seriously, Sesshoumaru, would it kill you to give me some information? Are we actually rushing to somewhere or can I get you to slow down the pace a bit?" Instead of replying, Sesshoumaru simply slowed down slightly causing Kagome to roll her umber eyes while his back was turned and he couldn't see the action. "Fine stay silent, I didn't want to talk to you anyways," she grumbled under her breath and, apparently not believing her words for a moment, Sesshoumaru turned back to give her a dubious look.

As Kagome followed along behind him, she found herself wondering if she had done anything to annoy him, but unable to come up with anything she could have done recently, she chalked it up to his personality and turned her mind to other things to keep herself occupied. Just as she was beginning to wonder how her family on the other side of the well were doing, Sesshoumaru suddenly stopped in front of her and she barely managed to keep from running into him.

"There," he instructed, gesturing down the hill and as Kagome walked around him, she could see a small village down in the valley before them. Not sure why he had stopped at a human village, Kagome simply turned back to him in question. "Buy yourself some winter clothing that is more appropriate than what you are wearing," he instructed as he handed her some money and began to walk away, planning to wait there for her return.

"Whatever," Kagome mumbled under her breath as she turned and began making her way down toward the village, in no mood to argue with him about how there was nothing wrong with her clothes. The closer she came to the wooden huts, the easier it was to spot the villagers stopping whatever it was they were doing to turn and stare at her. Already used to being the center of attention for her strange clothes and behavior, Kagome paid them little mind as she passed with a smile.

Spotting an old woman sitting beside one of the huts, bundles of cloth spread out around her, Kagome began making her way over and greeting her with a nod of her head. "Do you have any warm winter clothes that are easy to travel in, for sell?" she inquired politely as she began glancing around at what the woman had to offer, turning her attention back to her when she began to point out a set of clothes that would make Kagome's needs.

"Oh those are perfect," she commented out loud to herself as she began looking them over. "These are lined with fur?" she inquired as she felt the soft, fluffy fur beneath her fingers. Receiving a nod in response, Kagome decided, "I'll take them," before handing over the required money and bidding the woman a good day. As she began to make her way back toward where she had left Sesshoumaru, a familiar voice caught her attention and she turned to find someone she wished to never see again standing mere feet away.

Thankful he hadn't spotted her yet, Kagome took off in a run, in a hurry to get away before he could cause more trouble and get himself killed by Sesshoumaru. Arriving back at the small clearing, Kagome through procedure out the window and quickly began stripping to change clothes, paying little mind to the startled demon lord before her. "Alright, let's go," she instructed as she placed her old clothes into her backpack and started walking away without waiting for him to respond.

"Why are you in such a rush? You did remember to pay for the clothes, correct? And speaking of, where is my change?" Sesshoumaru inquired, earning a glare from Kagome as she tossed the coins over her shoulder at him. "It is not such a strange question, considering how quickly you are trying to get away from the village. You behave like you are running from something," Sesshoumaru pointed out as he quickened his strides to catch up to her.

"Yes, I paid for the clothing, that's not why I am in such a hurry. I saw someone back there that I have met before and am not really a fan of. Not to mention the fact that if you were to ever meet him, you would want to kill him within moments. I am simply in a rush to prevent his death," Kagome explained hoping he would let it drop at that and she wouldn't have to go into more details, as she didn't really wish to think about the first time she had seen him. Much to her relief, Sesshoumaru fell into silence as they continued heading away from the village.

* * *

"Stupid snow," Kagome grumbled to herself as the cold, frozen flakes landing on her exposed face roused her into waking. "Does it really have to snow every night?" she inquired rhetorically as she pulled her sleeping bag closer and glanced up in confusion, wondering why Sesshoumaru hadn't answered when she knew he would still be awake. The sight that greeted her, caused her to laugh out loud before she could stop herself.

A large mound of snow covered both his shoulders and head, making the powerful demon lord look down right silly. "Umm, Sesshoumaru? You do know you are covered in snow right? Why haven't you dusted yourself off?" she inquired after receiving a nod in response to her first question. Not waiting for his answer, Kagome rose a bit from her place in his lap to brush the snow away, biting her lower lip to keep from giggling.

"Movement would have woken you and the cold does not affect me as it does your human body. Do not worry about a small amount of snow and go back to sleep. There is only a few more hours before dawn," Sesshoumaru warned her as he pushed her back into her place and pulled the sleeping bag back over her. As Kagome snugged back against his chest, she pulled his arm around her waist for extra warmth and comfort only to realize it was freezing.

"You do know that not being affected and able to keep it hidden are two different things right? Your hand is freezing, don't try and tell me that you aren't cold," Kagome insisted as she rose up once more and began trying to cover Sesshoumaru with the sleeping bag as well, only to have him prevent her from doing so. "Don't start Sesshoumaru, I'm not going to hold it against you because you get cold and I won't tell anyone so just come under the blanket where it is warmer."

Hoping her insistence would end any further objection he might have, Kagome tried once again to pull the blanket over his head, but Sesshoumaru grabbed onto her wrist gently to stop her. "I will be unable to smell any danger that may be lurking nearby, your scent will overpower all else," he told her, earning himself a dark glare barely visible in the moonlight. "I do not mean that your scent is unpleasant, but in such close quarters even my enhanced sense of smell will not be able to detect anything else.

"Doing so would simply put both of us in danger and is not worth it for the warmth. Do not worry yourself over my comfort and just go back to sleep, I assure you, I am perfectly fine," he insisted, covering her up yet again, this time placing his arms around her waist and tightening his hold on her so she couldn't try to move again. Deciding to let the matter drop for know, though she would be sure to come up with some way for her to stay warm without endangering themselves tomorrow, Kagome leaned into his embrace and allowed her eyes to close.

Just as she was about to fall back asleep, she could both hear and feel the grow resonating from within Sesshoumaru and glanced up with confused umber eyes. Seeing he was looking not at her, but across the campfire, Kagome followed his gaze and found the last person she wanted to see at that moment, or ever again. "So this is how far you have fallen since when last we meet. You could become one of the great priestesses with your power if only you would receive some traditional training.

"And yet, you have allowed yourself to become nothing more than a demon's whore," the priest spat at her, glaring down at the two who were still snuggled beneath the covers. "No longer will I allow you to choose for yourself, as you are obviously unable to do so. So I shall decide your fate for you. You will come with us and train. We shall wash away the taint that animal had placed upon you."


	23. Ungai's Plan

Title: Ungai's Plan  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Nemesis  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Cannon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 1034  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: Kagome's quite, peaceful days of Winter are about to end.

AN: Part 23 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Staring silently at the man that stood before them, Kagome could feel the growl rising up from deep within Sesshoumaru's belly, the sound vibrating against her back. Knowing only mere moments stood between that instant and his death if the demon lord saw the need to attack him, Kagome reached behind her back until she felt a clawed hand, ridged against his knee, and intertwined her fingers with his own.

"Your help is neither needed nor wanted, priest. You best be on your way," she warned as she pinned him with a hard, unyielding glare. Apparently having no intention of heeding her words, he scoffed at her before he began to raise his staff, almost as if he planned to knock her unconscious with it before, seemingly, thinking better of it and pointing it in Sesshoumaru's direction. The gesture earned the priest a louder growl of warning.

"First the child, and now this? I will not allow you to warp the mind of one of our most powerful pristesses. She may not be aware of your true intentions, demon, but I am and I will not allow her to become tainted," he swore, gesturing to the girl in question, who rolled her umber eyes at his baseless accusations. After a moment, fully hearing his words, Kagome's mind focused on his comment about a child, and glanced over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru.

For a brief moment, he turned his golden eyes from the priest to the girl in his lap and within their depths, Kagome found her answer. There was only one child that meant anything to the demon lord and she found herself wondering how he had managed to leave with his life the last time they met, since he had no doubt tried to take Rin away as well. "I am a grown woman, priest, and can make my own decisions.

"And I have already done so. Whether you like the outcome or not, this is my choice, mine. I choose who I am friends with, allies with. Demon, human, half and half, it doesn't matter, I will not turn my back on my friends simply because you or anyone else does not approve. Your opinion means nothing to me. Nor does your training, cause you see, I never wanted to be a priestess in the first place. I don't want to be powerful.

"I've already fulfilled my obligation, I restored the jewel and wished it away, I destroyed Naraku. My job is done. I am no longer the Shikon no miko, I'm just Kagome. Plain ole little me, that's it. End of discussion," she insisted as she gave Sesshoumaru's hand a reassuring squeeze before rising to her feet and turning fully to the priest, who seemed unmoved by her words. "Leave Ungai, I would rather not darken the air I breath by listening to your tainted speech."

"I can not, nor will I, leave our most powerful weapon against the evils of this world in the hands of filth. You will never stop being the Shikon no miko, and while the jewel may be gone, your power is not. Now is the time for the pious to rise up and rid our world of the abominations. The death of that disgusting half-breed has opened up the advantage we have been praying for. Power is now tipped in our favor, for the first time in a long time, there is more good than evil in this world.

"If we act now, we can destroy them once and for all. Make the future safe for the next generation, and the next after that. Now is not the time to be holding onto misguided friendships with those monsters. Stand with us and watch as good triumphs over evil, make your mark in history. Or stay out of our way as, with or without you, we will be riding the world of their darkness," he swore, gesturing to the silent demon behind her.

Stunned by his words, Kagome could do nothing else but stand there in silence, wondering if he had gone mad or if she had. Not liking all demons was one thing, but he intended to push them passed extinction and, by the sound of it, the plan was already passed the stage of discussion. Not wishing to spend another moment near him, and knowing she needed to begin working on her own plan to counter theirs as soon as possible, Kagome rolled a small ball of snow before chucking it at the priest.

Smirking in satisfaction as it exploded upon impacting his face, she began creating a second projectile as she warned, "I'll give you to the count of three to get out of here or I'll switch to a much harder weapon." Tossing the readied snowball up and down, Kagome kept her eyes trained on the priest before her, just waiting for him to make an ill advised move. Instead, he continued to glare at her in silence for a few moments before finally warning, "The day of our victory is close at hand as it has been foreseen.

"Learn the error of your ways before it is too late and you are punished with them." Having said his piece, the priest turned his back on her and left the clearing, leaving Kagome there to scream out in rage at his retreating back. Needing a way to vent her frustrations, she hurled her snowball in the direction he had gone, smirking to herself at the resounding thunk that followed. Turning back to the still seated and silent demon lord, Kagome dusted off her hands.

"I need to go visit the others and see if they have heard anything about this. If it is what I think it is, then I already know the outcome and it would be best if we didn't waste any time. I'm sure you have questions or want to yell at me for taking over the conversation and giving you know chance to rip him to pieces, but do you mind if you do that while we walk? Right now we have little time top spare if we want to prevent our new Nemesis's plan from working."


	24. Now hit me

Title: Now hit me

Author: Hairann

Theme: Instinct

Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: Implied violence.

Word Count: 1165

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: Kagome's plan is unveiled.

AN: Part 24 of Voluntary Obligation.

**Won third place for the one-shot contest: Instinct**

* * *

The village men interrupted their shoveling of the snow piled up before their doors to glance over toward Kagome and Sesshoumaru as they appeared on the edge of town, their whispered questions and worries not going unnoticed by the demon lord. The girl, however, was unable to hear them and smiled naturally at each villager she passed. Moments before they could arrive at their destination, Inuyasha walked out side, a transformed Tetsusaiga resting on his shoulder, as he gave Kagome a quick once over before turning to glare at his elder brother. But before either of them could speak, a red blur pushed passed him and jumped into Kagome's waiting arms.

"Hello, Shippo. Are you behaving for Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired, completely ignoring the staring match going on between the two dog demons, as she ruffled the curly hair of the kit in her arms. Though he vigorously nodded his head in affirmative, the loud scoff Inuyasha gave off told another story. Giving him a soft smile, Kagome reached into a hidden pocket, producing a lollipop for him, before handing it over and turning her attention back to the half demon that still blocked the door to Kaede's hut.

"Mind if we come in, Inuyasha? We need to talk," Kagome insisted and, recognizing her tone as her serious, 'I mean business' voice, Inuyasha thought better than to argue and stepped back to allow them entrance. As much as he did not want his half brother entering his home, he knew if Kagome was using that voice, it had to be something important. As they entered the small, worn out hut and began seating themselves in the middle of the room near the small fire, Kaede greeted the younger priestess with a kind smile and began preparing tea for the group.

"I was paid a visit by a priest a few days ago. I'm sure you remember him, Inuyasha," Kagome began as she turned toward her long time friend before answering his questioning look with one word, "Ungai." The resounding growl that answered informed her that he did in fact remember him. "It's starting," she began again, gaining another growl from Inuyasha and confused looks from the rest of their friends. "Do you all remember me telling you that there are no demons in my time? And that I grew up believing them to be fake?"

To her questions, her friends nodded their heads, confused looks still adorning their faces, unsure where she was going with this. "If I am right, the event that caused that, is what's coming. It is the only thing that makes sense. It's what my instincts are screaming at me," she told them before turning her attention back to Inuyasha. "Ungai told me that the balance of power has shifted to good with the death of Naraku. There would be no better time than now to rid the world of demons.

"And they fully intend to. He's already gathering priests and priestesses for this battle and though I do not know exactly what he has planned, it won't be good. We have to stop them now, before it is too late and I have a plan. I'm going to need Sango and Miroku to come with me," Kagome admitted as she turned back toward them, quickly receiving nods from both of them, before facing forward again to find Inuyasha giving her a inquiring look. "The first part of my plan is pretty simple, the three of us join their forces and find out their plan."

"That will never work, Kagome. For starters, Ungai isn't going to believe you suddenly decided to join them and why bother wasting time learning their plan anyways? Between Sesshoumaru and I, we can easily defeat any number of humans they send at us," Inuyasha pointed out, as he humphed and thrust his hands into his sleeves, insulted at the perceived slight against him. As though she thought him incapable of handling a few humans.

"Of course you can, Inuyasha, but I would much rather find a way to solve this that didn't result in the deaths of who knows how many humans, if at all possible. Besides, depending on what their plan is, if even one of them gets away from you, it could still happen. No it would be best to know what we are up against first. If it's an object, we can destroy it. A place, maybe we can hide it behind some kind of barrier. But no matter, the more we know, the greater the chances we will succeed.

"You are right about one thing though, he wouldn't believe me if I suddenly changed my mind and tried to join him, especially after our last encounter. However, if he was to find us beaten and battered on the side of the road, claiming it was demons that did it, he will no doubt want us to join him," Kagome pointed out only to be met by Inuyasha's confused expression. Raising an eyebrow, in a very Sesshoumaru like manner, Kagome smiled softly while waiting for him to connect the dots himself.

The instant he did, it was made obvious by his shaking head and repeatedly telling her 'no'. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, you won't have to beat me up. Only Sango and Miroku. They can of course decline joining my plan, I can do this alone, however they would have an easier time sneaking away to update you guys than I would. Once this is done, we need to move quickly so listen up. Track him and place us in his path without being seen."

Turning toward Sango and Miroku, Kagome waited until they had nodded their heads in agreement before saying a quick goodbye to Kaede and heading back out into the forest, the tea she had just finished preparing completely forgotten about. Deciding it would be better to take care of things away from the village, she had told her friends as much as they followed after her in silence. It wasn't until she had gotten far enough away from the hut and turned back to the others that they finally broke the silence. "So who's going to do you?" Inuyasha inquired, realizing she had still yet to reveal that part of her plan.

Instead of answering, Kagome turned her eyes to Sesshoumaru, holding his gaze with her own as the minutes ticked away in tense silence. A war was waged within their orbs, his fighting to change her mind, hers to show her resolve. It was Sesshoumaru who looked away first, knowing neither of them would break and was merely a waste of time to continue. "You are not letting me get hurt, Sesshoumaru, you are fulfilling my request. Your honor will not suffer," Kagome assured him as she took a step toward him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Now hit me."


	25. Enough

Title: Enough  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Flourish  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Canon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Violence  
Word Count: 1177  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: When Sesshoumaru refuses to do as she asks, Kagome has to use her only means to get him to comply left. Something she wished she never had to do.

AN: Part 25 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared down into her resolve harden eyes, her words ringing in his elven ears as he fought against all that demanded he refuse or accept her request. She had no right to ask him to do such a thing and no matter how many words of reassurance she gave him, he would never truly see it her way. If he was to do as she had asked, she had demanded, he would be placing a bruise upon more than just her body. Also his honor and strangely enough, his heart.

The powerful demon lord was no innocent child, he had slaughter hundreds, orphaned dozens of children, not unlike his own ward. He had killed and maimed, fought against warriors and peasants alike. He had been just and without cause. Moral and immoral. Right and wrong. But never before in his many years upon this earth had he ever taken his fist to an unarmed woman, human or otherwise. And he had no desire to start now, no matter how much she might have wished him to. "Do not ask me to do this. You ask too much."

Silently, Kagome captured his gaze with her own, watching as the barely noticeable emotions raged a war of their own within his eyes. "I know, Sesshoumaru. If I had another choice, I would not ask it of you. But if it were to be anyone else, you would kill them. It must be done and you must be the one to do it," she insisted as she raised her hand and gently placed her chilled fingers upon his heated cheek. His own pale hand reached up to cover hers as he held it in place.

"What you ask could easily scar you for life, if it does not kill you. And yet you want me to risk it? I can not do that, I will not. We will find another way for your plan to work that does not result in me having to beat you," Sesshoumaru decided as he stepped back, her hand falling silently to her side as it fell from his cheek. Giving him a soft, almost sad smile, Kagome continued to watch him in silence for a few moments longer before finally answering him.

"If it is not real, there is a chance they will not believe me and it could endanger my life. An outcome that is far more likely than you doing so. Ungai knows how deep my friendships are with demons, he knows that I would sooner die than betray them. The only way to convince him that I have switched sides, is for him to believe that any feelings I may have had for demons were destroyed. If you were to attack me unprovoked and seriously injury me, I would lose all faith in you. Or at least, that is what he would believe.

"I know you do not want this, Sesshoumaru, probably as much as I do not want to place it on your shoulders, but it must be done. And it must be your aura that clings to the bruises. I do not want to make you do this, but if you will not do it on your own, than I will be forced to make you. And I know how, Sesshoumaru. Please do not make me take away your free will," Kagome pleaded as she gestured for the others to leave the clearing before turning back to Sesshoumaru once they were out of sight.

As Sesshoumaru thought over the possibility of her actually being able to follow through on her threat, he watched her eyes for any betrayal of her emotions, but found none. Deciding to call her on her bluff, Sesshoumaru turned his back and began walking away. As Kagome watched his actions, a single tear went unnoticed in the corner of her eye as she unshouldered her bow and began to ready her first arrow. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly to him, just as she pulled the string taunt and released a arrow filled with holy power.

Sensing the incoming threat, Sesshoumaru turned back with a roar and watched the arrow land but inches from him. Confused, he glanced around the clearing to find who had attacked him, only to see Kagome notching another arrow. "Don't," he demanded, answered by her blinking away her tears as she released the arrow, aiming it straight at him this time. Mere seconds before it would have hit him, Sesshoumaru batted it away, resulting in the back of his arm being burned. "Do not do this Kagome, I will kill you," he warned, even as his usually golden eyes began to bleed red and he fought against his instincts screaming at him to remove the threat.

"Neither of us have any other choice, Sesshoumaru. We both must do the one thing we never wanted to have to do. There is far too much at stake to take any chances. I'm sorry I have to hurt you, but you have left me no choice. Now I will do the same for you," Kagome informed him as her third arrow was notched and released, sending a purifying projectile straight for his chest. This too he batted away, but as he was distracted by it, she shot another aimed at him arm, grazing him as it flew passed.

Sesshoumaru roared in anger as her power burned the flesh of his arm, sending waves of extreme pain through him. "Attack me, Sesshoumaru," she pleaded with him even as she shot arrow after arrow, lightly pelting him in non-lethal spots. "Hurry before it is too late and you transform. While you're still in control," she continued, even as she readied another arrow, closing her pain filled eyes as she released it so she wouldn't have to see it hurting him.

After his answering roar, she reopened them only to find he was still remaining where he had been, though his usually golden eyes had begun to bleed red. "Now Sesshoumaru, there isn't much time. If the plan is to flourish, you have to attack me. I have but one arrow left," she informed him as she pulled said arrow from her quiver. "Judging by the amount you've transformed already, this arrow will be enough to cause it to complete. My safety can not be guaranteed if it goes that far. You're out of time, Sesshoumaru. You have to attack me now."

"You will pay for this," Sesshoumaru warned her with a resounding roar before bearing his fangs and closing the distance between them. Seeing her plan was finding working, Kagome released her bow and arrow with a sigh of relief and closed her umber eyes. Even as she could hear his fist cutting through the air toward her and felt its first impact upon her face, Kagome heard his whispered words, "You have gotten your way, but I wonder if you truly understand the cost. Both to yourself and mine."


	26. Infiltration

Title: Infiltration  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Seduction  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 2195

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: The next part of Kagome's plan it put into motion and she learns what Ungai is planning.

AN: Part 26 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

"You're finally awake, Kagome-chan," a soft voice called out to her as a wet cloth was dabbed against a cut on her lip. A moment later she recognized the voice as Sango's and went to open her eyes only to realize they were swollen shut. "Do not try to move, Kagome-chan. He did a number on you and Miroku says that our 'guests' will be here in a matter of moments. You are far more pitiful and believable lying on the ground, unable to move."

Deciding she had a point, Kagome gave her a thumbs up, which happened to be the only part of her that did not hurt, before turning her attention to the sound of the approaching voices. Even from her position, lying on the ground with her head in Sango's lap, she could hear Miroku speaking to them, Ungai's voice easily distinguishable from the others. "Forgive me master priest, but she is unable to see anyone at this moment," Miroku was explaining as Kagome rolled over slightly and gave off a pitiful whine.

Though she had meant for it to be fake, the movement caused her bruised lip to brush up against Sango's knee guard, sending a wave of pain through her. "The fiend did a number on her, she is unable to even open her eyes. If you wish to speak with Kagome-sama, I am afraid you shall have to return later." Instead of listening to his advice, Ungai pushed passed him and made his way toward Kagome's prone body.

"Speak child, who has done this to you?" he inquired in a soft, almost caring tone as he knelt beside her and brushed a few stray hairs from her eyes. "Speak child, once you admit it out loud, to yourself and to the Kami, you can begin to heal. Confess my child, who has committed this violation upon your holy body?" Ungai pressed, gently caressing her temple.

"As if you do not already know, Ungai," Kagome spat as she turned to glare at him through swollen and barely open eyes. "Does my pain give you that much pleasure?" she demanded defiantly.

"Your pain would not give me the slightest amount of pleasure, child. It is not for me that you speak the truth, but for yourself. So you can heal, move on and grow stronger. It is simply the first step you must take in order to take the others," he explained as he reached down and wrapped his warm, callused hand around hers. For a long moment, Kagome remained silent, holding her tongue until she could no longer stand the silence and then she whispered a name.

The word was so soft, so quiet that even the two closest to her were unable to hear it. "Speak up child, let fear not hold your tongue," Ungai prompted as a mother would to a child speaking its first words. "Come my child, speak his name so you may begin to heal. He is not worth holding your tongue for. His abuse upon your body is proof of that," Ungai insisted patting Kagome's trembling hands in a soothing manner.

"You do not understand, Ungai, he is my friend. I love him...loved. No I still do. How could he do this to me?" Kagome demanded pitiably as she closed her eyes and effectively squeezed out a few fake tears. "How can he betray me like this?" she continued after a few moments as she forced her eyes open as far as they would go and pinned the priest with her most hurtful stare, her umber eyes imploring his for an explanation.

"I can not answer that child, other than to say that the unclean and impure will always do dirty, abominable things. Even to those they claim to call friend. But now is not the time nor the place to discuss this. There is no way to know when he might return for a second round. Let us move you to a safer place where you can heal and rest. Then, and only then, if you feel up to it, I shall speak of the plan I mentioned before." Ungai decided before gesturing a few of his men over, pulling the cart they lead over with them.

Handing his staff to one of the other priests, Ungai turned back toward Kagome as he rose to his feet. Ever so gently, careful not to jar or touch her anywhere he was sure she was injured, Ungai lifted Kagome into his arms and carried her over to the cart. Carefully placing her in the back, and covering her with a nearby blanket, the priest turned back toward Sango as he straightened out his robes.

"You may ride with her if you wish. My men can easily pull both your weights," he informed her before turning and heading toward the front of the small group of priests he had brought with him. After sharing a nod with Miroku, Sango climbed in next to Kagome and watched as he made his way toward the other priests.

"Rest Kagome-chan, I will wake you once we have arrived," Sango assured her as she placed one of her hands in her own, gently stroking it to help her relax. Knowing that there was nothing more she could do for now, and slipping into unconsciousness would help sell her story, Kagome did as was instructed and allowed her mind to relax. It was not long before she had fallen asleep, the action coming so quickly that, to an untrained eye, it seemed as though she passed out.

As consciousness came back to her, the only thing Kagome could focus on was the fact that her mouth felt like it was made out of cotton. Hoping to find a pitcher of water beside her bed, she opened her eyes to realize the swelling was worse than when she had gone to sleep. Feeling her way blindly with her hands, she headed toward what she hoped would be the front of the room she was in. Within a few steps she was just barely able to make out light through her swollen, sleep encrusted lids and could heart voices coming from outside.

Recognizing Ungai's instantly, she carefully made her way closer, straining to catch his every word. "For far too long they have dwindled our numbers. Destroying those with holy powers through battles, massacres, trickery and now even seduction. We can not allow the demons free reign any longer or they shall destroy all of us and there will be no one left to protect our entire race. The war is close at hand, my brothers and sisters, and it is a war that we must win.

"There will be no second chances. Fail now and humanity is doomed," he bellowed and Kagome rolled her eyes behind her closed lids only to regret it a moment later. The motion had caused a headache, she wasn't aware was there, to flare up in full force. The pain caused her to moan pathetically and as she reached out to grasp something to use as support, Kagome felt strong arms being wrapped around her waist.

"I have you, child. With your leave, I will guide you back to bed. You have been asleep for three days, your body is much too weak to be moving around so much so soon after waking," Ungai insisted and after Kagome nodded her head in agreement, he began leading her back the way she had come. "If you feel up to it," he began as he helped her onto the futon, "I shall explain things to you. I am certain your curiosity must be getting to you by now."

"I do not understand, Ungai. Why would you wish to entrust me with such knowledge? Do you not fear that I would warn the demons?" Kagome inquired softly as she turned toward where she was certain he was now sitting.

"Child, even if I had not seen the bruises for myself and doubted your word, I would still have no qualms about telling you our plan. For you see, though it would be easier with your help and could in fact save lives, the plan shall be carried out with or without you and there is nothing that you could do to stop it. You would have to kill us and no matter how much the abominations have tainted your mind in their favor, you would never take the life of a single human being.

"As I said, we can do it without you, but I would prefer not to. It is no longer a matter of if we can do it, but how long it will take. With your sizable about of holy power working with us, it is quite possible that we would be able to complete our mission before a single life is lost. The more power we are able to put together, the better for all of us. You see, what we are going to do is place those with holy powers across the land.

"On the night of pure darkness, every last one of us shall release our powers into the air, purifying any with demon blood. We shall hit them all at once and before any of them can know what is happening. And even if you, or perhaps another, wished to warn them, not caring that they would be ending the lives of many humans, it would not matter. There are already enough of us in hiding that, should the rest of us be killed, there would still be enough alive to complete our mission.

"That is why I do not fear telling you the truth. It is not that I do or do not trust you, but that there is nothing that can be done to prevent the end of the demons. Now rest child, we do not have long before the plan is put in motion and if you wish to join us, you shall be in need of your strength. I will send your slayer friend in with some food and drink," Ungai informed her as he gently patted Kagome's hand before rising to his feet and making his way back out of the room.

Kagome listened for his retreating steps, waiting until he had gotten far enough away, before turning her thoughts inward. Going over the information he had given her, she quickly calculated the days until the new moon, or the 'night of pure darkness' as he had called it, and realized they had barely over a week to prepare. The fact that any half-demon would be safe, since they would have no demon blood that night to have purified, did little to comfort her.

Ungai was right about at least one thing, she would be unable to stop it without resulting in the deaths of many humans. No matter how much she may have hated them for what they were doing, she could not allow that. But at the same time, she could not allow all of the demons to be killed simply because of their blood. Hearing footsteps coming toward her, Kagome glanced in their direction, quickly recognizing Sango's presence.

"Are we alone?" she inquired softly and after hearing Sango's affirmative answer, she patted a spot next to her on the futon and waited for her to take a seat before continuing. "We do not have long, they will be making their move in a little over a week. Take Miroku, use an excuse of gathering more slayers and such to guard the priests during the mission, and get word to the others. You will be followed, most likely, so do not go straight to them.

"Make a stop by your village, it should be on your way. Only when you are sure you can see them unnoticed are you to go. Tell them to begin gathering the others, as many as they can. Any that are willing to be saved by a human. I can not save them all, but I do have an idea of how to save many. Make sure they do not tell the others who I am, only that I am a human. I can not risk them finding out the truth just yet, there may still be more I can do here.

"Tell them to refer to me as the 'unknown warrior'. Ungai and the others will assume it is a man, if they catch wind of it. Have him decide on a place to gather and inform me of its location when you return. I will head there at the last possible moment, but all of our friends and any who wish to be saved should be there. Now you should go, we will already be cutting it pretty close as it is. Without Kirara, it's going to take much longer to make the journey. Stay safe, Sango," Kagome pleaded as she reached out and grasped her friend's hand.


	27. Impending War

Title: Impending War  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Tempest  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 2174

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: Kagome learns more about why while Sango and Miroku go for help.

AN: Part 27 of Voluntary Obligation. These last 8 or so prompts used for the chapters have already passed their deadline, but since they still map out how I wish to continue this story, I have decided to keep using them. I will be working on this story regularly now to try and finish it up.

* * *

Kagome listened until Sango's footsteps could no longer be heard before sighing out loud to herself. They did not have long before the end of the world; and that was exactly what it would be if either side failed. If Ungai's plan failed the demons would slaughter them and eventually every other human once they learned what they had tried to do. And if they failed, there wouldn't be a single demon left alive. An entire species would be brought to extinction because they were afraid of a few bad apples.

Since she couldn't stop Ungai, as there was no way to find every single priest in hiding before the new moon, their only option was for both plans to succeed; as much as she hated that idea. Hearing someone enter her room, Kagome forced a sob and angerly wiped away her 'tears' before turning her head away as though she was ashamed to be caught crying. Apparently buying her act, Ungai sat himself down gently beside her and patted her nearest hand.

"Worry not child, it will get better. I know it may not seem like it at this moment, but the pain will lessen over time; both the physical and the mental. You need but give yourself time, child," he insisted softly before rising to his feet once more and pulling her up with him. "For now, you need some fresh air. Being cooped up in this dark and gloomy hut is not good for your health and there is something I want to show you," Ungai explained, his tone assuring her he meant no pun as she couldn't really see at that moment.

Wanting to get as much information about his plan as possible and agreeing that she needed to get out of this room, Kagome nodded her head and allowed him to help her up. After a moment, she felt her hand begin guided to the crook of his elbow and took his offered crutch with a thin smile. Making sure to give herself just enough of a limp to make it look like she was trying to hide it, Kagome carefully followed him out into the sunlight; able to easily hear the voices around her hushing upon noticing her arrival.

Apparently deciding to not pay them any attention, Ungai began to speak as though the entire camp wasn't currently staring at them. "I know the two of us have not seen eye to eye over the years, child, but I am sure you believe I have always had our peoples' best interest at heart. What you believe you see in 'them', I used to be sure of myself. I too used to believe that there was the possibility for good in everyone, including demons, but experience has taught me the error of my thinking; just as yours is now teaching you.

"Sometimes no matter how much we might want something, it just isn't possible. Sometimes that which we want to believe in will only disappoint us," he insisted, his aged voice cracking under some unknown emotion that had Kagome wondering how she could learn of his past; find out what it was exactly that caused him to believe they were all evil. But he gave her no more than a few moments to dwell on it before he was continuing.

"The time is upon us, whether we would wish for it or not, and there is no stopping it. I can see it on your face, you do not agree with our methods, but there is something you do not know, child; we did not make the first move. You are not the only one to be attacked, betrayed by them lately. You wish to believe that it is only a few of them that are a threat to us, but the truth is that the 'good' are now the minority.

"Earlier this season, an entire village was wiped out after a demon-that had promised to protect them- just stood by and watched as a pack of bear demons killed them for sport. And before you think that he was just scared because he was out numbered, he laughed the entire time. Not long after that, a shrine-that was currently acting as an orphanage for children who's parents were killed by demons-was attacked by a group of demons that were chasing one of their own.

"He purposely lead them to the shrine so he could escape while they were busy slaughtering the children." Ungai paused for a moment and Kagome could just barely make out his form as he turned to face her directly. "The war is upon us, child; it has been building for years. Winning is no longer about who is right or good, simply who can create the biggest tempest the quickest. We have to strike first, to strike now as we will not get another chance if we hesitate.

"And you may not believe it, but I never really wanted it to come to this, but now that it has I will do everything in my power to protect those that can't protect themselves. If my choices are to kill a few innocent demons or risk the lives of innocent humans, I will sacrifice the demons every time. You might think that makes me a monster, but sometimes you have to become what you fight in order to win," Ungai almost whispered and it wasn't hard for Kagome to hear the regret in his aged voice.

Not sure what to say, she simply remained silent as he began to lead her deeper into the village. "I know you can not see very well right now," he began again as he steered her to the largest, and perhaps the most worn down, hut in the village and clasped his free hand over hers. "But there is something you need to witness." Waiting until she had given him a nod of understanding, Ungai led her into the hut in silence.

The moment Kagome crossed the threshold-even without being able to see it well-she knew exactly where she was. The stale scent of blood and the overwhelming smell of herbs told her that it was the medical hut. "Before you are the children who's lives have been affected by this war," Ungai explained and through the swelling, Kagome could see many blurry images covered in white gauze; some of which she could tell already needed to be changed as the blood was soaking through and staining them red.

It was a pity ploy, that was obvious to Kagome the instant he told her that there were only children in this hut. He knew, that like any priestess, she could not abandon those that needed help; especially those who were so young. Ungai wanted to tie her to his plan by making it so she couldn't live with leaving them during their time of need. She had to admit, it was a pretty good plan and a couple of years ago, it probably would have worked on her.

But now she had her own 'children' to protect, she had others depending on her for their survival and she wasn't going to let them down. No matter what Ungai threw at her. But that didn't mean she was completely obvious to their pain and suffering either. Giving his arm a gentle squeeze to let him know she was okay, Kagome released Ungai and carefully made her way further into the hut. Almost instantly the children began to notice her presence and she gave them a bright smile that didn't quite reach her ears before making her way over to where she could see the medical supplies stacked up.

She needed to gather as much information as she could before Sango and Miroku returned and Kagome knew that children were bound to be more open to speaking to her than other adults were. And while they may not know everything, or important details she could use, children tended to hear and understand more than adults even realized. They would notice, know things that even the adults hadn't realized yet because their perspectives were different. And Kagome planned on using that to her advantage.

* * *

"Are they still following us?" Sango inquired almost silently as she made sure not to glance behind them to find out for herself. They had been walking non-stop since they left Kagome in the priest's makeshift village and their tail had kept a respectable distance behind them the entire time. Raising his staff slightly, Miroku glanced up into the polished rings dangling from the top and soon spotted the two priests in the background.

"We are still in their company and I do not expect that to change soon. Once we reach the slayers' village I think it would be best to split up. And I have the perfect plan for that," Miroku informed her and instantly Sango knew she wasn't going to like it. The perverted look in his eyes and the way his voice dropped in pitch was enough to tell her that. Deciding not to give the monk any satisfaction, Sango held her tongue and picked up her pace knowing he would keep up.

Grinning softly to himself, Miroku did just that and the two of them fell into a somewhat awkward silence as they moved non-stop toward their destination. The miles passed by slowly as the two of them were used to going at Inuyasha's pace with the help of Kirara, but eventually they arrived and Sango couldn't help but sigh in relief. Between not knowing what the monk was thinking, but sure she wouldn't like it, and being used to the way things were when Kagome was around, she found she could no longer stand the quiet for too long. It unnerved her and right now Sango needed every last one of them to get her through this.

Stopping just shy of the slayer's village, Sango began to make camp as it was too late into the night to disturb the villagers that had returned with Kagome's wish. That and Sango wanted to be well rested before greeting them once more. As much as she was happy to have them back, it still unnerved her a bit that the once dead were walking within the village walls again. Since the day Kagome had brought them back with the jewel, Sango had only seen them twice.

She had grieved them, said her goodbyes and buried them beside the village and she could not truly believe they were no longer buried beneath the dirt. She felt it was almost as if they were in both places and could not bear to check the graves to see if they were still there. What was worse, or perhaps better, Sango wasn't entirely sure which it was yet, the villagers did not remember being dead. Her father, her brother truly believe that she had simply been gone hunting all this time while they awaited her return at home.

Having a good idea what was going through the slayer's mind as she stopped them a while before her home, Miroku decided it was best to put his plan into motion now. Not only would it give her plenty of time to finish her task, but he was sure being further away from this place right now would be in her best interest. "The road has been long and tiring. Why don't you go take a bath and relax while I see to dinner," Miroku offer, his voice rising in volume and Sango couldn't help but look at him dubiously.

"As if I would fall for that monk. You are just looking for an opportunity to spy on me," Sango shot back at him as she placed her hand on her hip and glared at him, a clear sign she was annoyed and not for a moment believing his suggestion was prompted by anything other than his perverted desires.

"My dearest Sango, you wound me. I am a priest and 'we' would never dare to look upon a woman impurely," he insisted putting a heavy emphasis on we before flashing Sango a quick grin as she started to understand his reasons; his strangely purer ones. This was the plan he had spoken of before. The two men following them were true men of the cloth and would not dare look upon her while she was bathing.

Which would give her ample time to pay the others a visit and update them as Kagome had asked her to. As long as Kirara was where she had requested she wait for them for just this moment, Sango would be able to get there and back before dinner was even ready and the priests would be none the wiser. Giving Miroku a quick nod, Sango began heading off to bath, calling a warning of what would happen if he dared to peek, over her shoulder.


	28. WatchingWaiting

Title: Watching/Waiting  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Errand  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 3436

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: Sango completes the errand Kagome send her on while Kagome steps back into the role of a priestess.

AN: Part 28 of Voluntary Obligation. Completely irrelevant now but as I was reading back over the other chapters to make sure I wasn't mixing up plot line with another story since it had been so long since I worked on this one, I realized I never explained why Kagome could still use the well without the help of the jewel. It was supposed to explain at some point that she could still return to the past due to her connection with Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Stepping into the dimly lit room of the medical hut, after borrowing a change of clothing from the priests so she would not be hampering the children's healing rather than helping it, Kagome carefully felt her way toward the front of the room. Squinting her eyes to see passed the swelling, she was glad she could not see well enough to witness herself dressed as a priestess once more. It was bad enough that she knew she was, but seeing it be so would have hurt that much more.

Kagome knew it would seem silly if she ever said the words out loud, but the thought of looking like a priestess, being confused with Kikyou again, was enough to turn her stomach. Deciding now was not the time to remind herself of her own pain, Kagome shook her head and turned her attention to the child she could barely make out crying before her. Carefully lowering herself to the floor, Kagome placed her knees beneath her and tilted the boy's chin up so he was looking at her,

"What is wrong, little one? What has caused you such tears?" she inquired softly as she gently wiped the large, salty droplets from his cheeks. Instead of answering, the little boy threw his arms around her neck and began to cry even harder into her shirt. Confused and unsure of what to do, Kagome glanced over her shoulder to where she knew Ungai was standing even as she wrapped her arms around the little boy and tried to comfort him.

"He suffers from night fears. He was probably awoken from another and has yet to calm down yet. It is unfortunate that we do not have enough here to help to heal the physical wounds and none for the emotional. We priests have no children and except for saving them from demons, we have very little interaction with them. We are simply out of our element here," Ungai explained sadly as he glanced around at the room full of children that now had their attention on the two of them.

Wrapping one arm underneath his legs to keep him steady, Kagome carefully rose to her feet with the boy in her arms, stumbling a bit as the extra top weight threatened to knock them over. Quick to react, Ungai steadied them, holding onto Kagome's arm until he was certain she wasn't going to lose her balance again. "Thank you, Ungai," Kagome said with a slight bow as she bounced the little boy a bit so she could put him on her hip before turning her full attention to the priest.

"All children really need is attention. One does not have to have given birth to be able to provide it. Go do your job with the other priests, Ungai. I will do mine in here. Leave the children to me," Kagome insisted even as she turned around without waiting for his response, already knowing it was what he had wanted her to do in the first place. Walking around the the other side of his bed, Kagome gently set him down, able to hear Ungai making his way back out of the room, before gently patting his head in reassurance.

"The monsters of your dreams are gone now little one, you are safe once more," she assured him as she dried his tears once more and helped the little boy to lay down. "I must change the bandages on the others, but I will be real close. Try to get some more sleep, but if you need anything or if something frightens you, simply call out for me and I will be right there. Understand?" Kagome inquired softly as she brushed the bangs out of his eyes and after receiving a slight nod, she smiled before leaning over and gently kissing his forehead.

"Sleep now, child," she whispered as she rose, barely able to make out his eyes closing through her swollen ones. Smiling softly to herself, she covered him up with the blanket he had pushed toward the foot of the bed and made her way toward the next child. A quick inspection of the gauze on her arm told Kagome it needed to be change and after asking the little girl to point to where it was stored, she began making her way over toward it.

In the doorway, Ungai watched her in silence for a few more moments before heading back outside, silently closing the door behind him. Knowing she would need some help even if only to bring her supplies, he began making his way toward where the children were playing. Quickly spotting the oldest child in their camp, Ungai walked toward him; confident he would be willing to help the priestess.

* * *

Her work done for now and all of the children sleeping peacefully within their beds, Kagome carefully made her way outside; unsure if it was so dark because it was late into the night, due to her eyes being used to the dimly lit room or because of the swelling. Deciding the reason did not really matter, Kagome began making her way slowly toward where she could hear others talking amongst themselves and could see a blurry image of flames.

Confident it would be where the priests cooked their meals, and hoping there was still some left for her, Kagome stumbled her way over. Soon she could hear them grow quiet, apparently having noticed her approached, and was slightly startled to feel a hand on her arm. "It is just me, child. I am merely leading you to where I have your dinner waiting," Ungai assured her as he gently patted her hand and helped her to sit down next to where he had been a few moments before.

Carefully placing her plate in her lap, making sure she knew it was there, Ungai turned his attention back to his own dinner even as he kept an eye on her in case she needed help. Once he was sure she would be able to feed herself without any problems, he continued, "And how are the children doing? I have not had the chance to check on them since I left you earlier. And I hope the boy is making himself useful."

"He is a great help, thank you for sending him to me. It is a huge time saver to have someone who can easily see and retrieve the items I need. It would have taken me all night by myself," Kagome informed him, truly thankful to have the older boy's help. Not only had he been an asset in taking care of the younger children, but he had also been willing to share a lot of information he had picked up while playing outside. Kagome was sure that there was now very little that she did not know about Ungai's plan.

"The children are doing much better," she continued after a moment, realizing she had turned the conversation inward and had completely forgotten about the priest beside her. "All of the wounds have been tended, their bandages have been changed. And in most cases, the bleeding has stopped. There are still a few I will need to check again in the morning, but they are not life threatening as long as they are cleaned properly. Which I have shown my aid how to do.

"He is quite adept to learning medical procedures, you may want to consider having him be formally trained as a healer when this is all over. He would be perfect for it," Kagome insisted with a smile, aimed not at him but to the boy in her mind, before shaking her head and turning her attention back to Ungai. "The emotional scars will take longer to heal, of course, but they are already beginning to heal so the children will one day be as they were.

"What they need the most is someone always in the room to hold them if they awake from a nightmare. Just to let them know that they are safe and that the monsters that chase them in their dreams won't catch them in the waking the world. If they receive this care, there is no reason for them to not return to the ways of normal children," Kagome assured him before turning her attention back to the plate of food in her lap and beginning to shovel the food into her mouth; unaware of just how hungry she was before that moment.

Deciding it was best not to interrupt the obviously hungry woman, Ungai turned his attention back to his own plate until he was called away by another priest. It wasn't until Kagome had finished eating that she noticed just how quiet it had gotten around her. Confused, she glanced around the campfire, searching for the blurry priests that should be surrounding her, only to find herself completely alone. Startled by their departure, but not entirely surprised by it, Kagome decided to put it out of her mind for now and carefully made her way toward the bowl of water used to wash off the dishes.

Though it was not an easy task, Kagome soon had her dish washed and stacked up with the others and began making her way toward the hut she had been staying in. At the last moment, she veered off the path, choosing to head to the edge of the makeshift village rather than retiring for the night. This far away from the campfire, the only light she had was from the moon above, but knew all of the light in the world would make little difference to her right now.

Careful not to trip over anything in her path, Kagome silently made her way toward a large boulder and climbed onto it; facing herself toward the surrounding forest. Taking a deep breath, Kagome inhaled the fresh scents of nature and allowed them to calm her nerves a bit. Those camped behind her were not her friends and it was doubtful they would ever be, but it did not make the inevitable any more bearable.

'I wish there was something I could do to prevent anyone from losing their life, but it is just not possible. There is less than a week before his plan is set in motion and that is no where near long enough to even try to find all of them. If, by chance, I don't find and stop enough of them, their plan will still be carried out and I will have protected no one. Not to mention, any I did find would surely be slaughtered for this.'

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Kagome turned to glance over her shoulder after hearing a noise coming from behind her. Squinting through the swelling, she could barely make out the priests beginning to gather around the firelight once more. Rolling her eyes at their blatant refusal to include her, Kagome turned back to the forest knowing it would never judge her. "I have but one choice. I must carry out my plan. If not, they are all doomed."

* * *

"Alright, Kirara, let's go," Sango prompted after she had climbed onto the back of the two-tailed cat's larger size. Instantly the feline obeyed and took to the sky; lifting the two of them high off of the ground. As Sango glanced down at the quickly passing scenery below, she couldn't help but worry about her furry companion. Though she knew she would be safe once the priests plan took effect, as she would be protected by Kagome with the others, there was a very good chance that she would soon be the last of her kind.

There was no way to know if others would show up, if they would even trust a human to save them. Kirara trusted her, listened to her because she knew her. The others didn't and there was no time to set about earning their trust. Her only option was to send Kirara out after them before time ran out. If they were lucky, she could convince some of them to return with her. Deciding to send her out after she returned to the slayer's village, Sango turned her attention to the campsite she could make out below.

Gesturing for Kirara to land, Sango waited until she had done so, watching as the others stood and began heading toward her once they had noticed her presence, before climbing down and gathered Kirara in her arms as soon as she had transformed back into her smaller form. "Kagome-chan's safe," Sango assured them after seeing Inuyasha's worried and Sesshoumaru questioning expressions. "She sent me here on an errand."

Gesturing for them to follow her, Sango made her way over to where they had build a fire and sat beside it after getting Kirara a bowl of water. "Kagome-chan wants you two to gather as many demons as you can in a location of your choosing. You are to inform me of the place before I leave so I can pass it along to Kagome-chan. She said to gather any who are willing to be saved by a human and our allies.

"Also Kagome-chan said to refer to her as the 'unknown warrior' to keep Ungai from finding out that she's behind it. Though she did not say it outright, it does not sound like there is anyway to stop the priests. We can only try to save as many as we can and we only have about a week to gather everyone," Sango explained before falling silent and allowing them to think over her words. As she waited, Shippo made his way over to warm his hands over the fire.

"I will warn my father and his allies. I have been gone for far too long anyways, if Kagome hadn't shown up when she did, I would have gone back home already," Shippo pointed out, though the others barely paid attention as they were lost in their own thoughts. "Think you can drop me off on your way back, Sango-chan?" he questioned, gaining the slayer's attention and after a moment, she nodded her head in agreement before turning toward Inuyasha as he began to speak.

"About a week? Why do I get the feeling it has something to do with the new moon? Did Kagome say anything about it?" he inquired and Sango shook her head before stopping to think about it for a moment. While it was true Kagome had not said anything about it, it seemed a little strange for the two events to be so close and yet be unrelated. Plus the more she thought about it, the more Sango could swear she had heard something about the new moon.

"That's it!" she cried out after a few moments, startling those around her. Ignoring their confused expressions, she explained, "It was something I overheard. I didn't think anything of it until now and I'm actually surprised Kagome-chan didn't mention it. When Ungai was explaining things to her, I overheard a few things. Most of it didn't make any sense without the rest of the conversation, but he mentioned the 'night of pure darkness', that has to be referring to the new moon, right?"

"It's gotta be. But either way, we don't have much time. You should head back and take the runt with you. We'll start gathering our allies and if you've got no objection," Inuyasha paused as he turned toward Sesshoumaru, "I say we have everyone meet up here. This clearing is close enough to the village that our allies will already know whereabouts to go and it's far enough away from any humans for them to cause problems."

"It will suffice," Sesshoumaru agreed after thinking about it for only a moment. Giving the two half-brothers a quick nod of goodbye, Sango gathered Shippo into her arms and climbed onto Kirara's back once she had transformed into her larger size. "To Shippo's home," she instructed and a moment later, they took off into the air leaving the two dog demons alone. Inuyasha watched until he could no longer see them before turning his attention to his brother.

"We should go over our list to make sure we don't miss anyone. I've got the wolves and foxes. There's a couple of others, but most demons don't bother talking to me, let alone listening. I think we've made more half-demon friends than full in our travels," Inuyasha mumbled the last part more to himself before sitting down next to the fire and beginning to build it back up a bit. "I don't know any one from dad's side of the family, or allies of our clan. And any of my mother's family that might still be alive are all human."

"I will deal with the clan allies, what few are actually loyal. The reason you do not know anyone from father's family is because there are none. Mother is the only other relative I still have besides you. Father was quite old when he sired you, his parents were already dead. We are the last of the white dog clan," Sesshoumaru informed him without any hint of emotion in his voice. Whether he was able to hide his loneliness or he simply didn't feel it, Inuyasha was unsure.

Deciding not to push the matter any further and to get back on subject, Inuyasha informed him, "I will start with the wolves as they are closer and are the largest group I will be getting. Probably best to give them as much time to get their tribes here as possible. But I will leave in the morning. There is no telling when the next time I will be able to sleep is and I will need my energy. Good night." Not bothering to wait to see if he responded or if he too would leave in the morning, Inuyasha laid down and closed his eyes.

* * *

As Miroku continued to stir the pot of long boiling soup, he couldn't help but silently pray that Sango would return soon. If she took much longer, he was sure the monks would begin to realize something was wrong. If they hadn't already. He was sure they would soon decide that she was taking far too long to actually be bathing and they couldn't afford to have Ungai learn Kagome hadn't truly turned her back on demons while she was still in their camp.

Even if he was a priest, there was no telling what he might do if he found out she was planning on betraying him. And it didn't help his nerves that he was starving and he had been forced to smell the appetizing aroma of the soup for well over an two hours. Deciding to give her five more minutes to return before starting without her, Miroku turned his attention out toward the forest; hoping to keep his mind off of his empty stomach.

A few yards away, hiding behind a large mound of snow, the two priests watched the third before turning toward each other. "She has been gone far too long, yet he does not worry for her safety. Something is not right," the priest lying on the right insisted and the one on the left nodded his head in agreement, but before he could speak, noise arose from the campsite and both turned their attention back to the third.

Only now he was joined by the slayer as she walked into camp still drying her hair. Silently the two hidden watched as she took her place beside him and he began dishing out food for the both of them. Unable to pick up the words they exchanged, the right priest turned back to his companion once more. "They are hiding something. We should inform Ungai of what has happened. Would you prefer to stay or go?"

"I will go. I can travel faster and I will bring us back something hot to eat. Their meal is making my stomach protest its emptiness," the left priest admitted and after promising to return as soon as he could, he turned and headed back the way they had come. Watching until he could no longer be seen, the right priest turned back to watch the two below, noticing neither of them had moved from their spots around the fire.


	29. The steps we take

Title: The steps we take  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Foundation  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 3464

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: The group begins laying the foundation of Kagome's plan.

AN: Part 29 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

After hearing grumbles of aggravation coming from her hut as he was passing by, Ungai decided that joining the others for breakfast could wait and quietly made his way inside. Though it was not what he was expecting to find, he was not all that surprised to find Kagome sitting on the edge of her futon with her sleeves rolled up as she tried in vain to wash her arm. Even from where he stood, Ungai could see her squinting as she tried, and failed, to see through the swelling.

Thinking it over for a moment, Ungai soon decided that helping her would do no harm and quietly made his way over. "It is me, child," Ungai informed her as she noticed his presence and glanced up toward him; rag hanging in midair. "Allow me to help," he prompted, taking the rag from her hands without resistance and began to carefully drag it along her arm. "If you do not mind me asking, child, have you had the chance to make your decision?"

Kagome held her tongue for a few moments as she thought about how would be best to answer him without having to lie, waiting until he had finished washing that arm and began on the other before finally speaking. "No, I have not, Ungai. I am just not sure yet that I want to take part in all this. It is one thing to not do anything to stop it, but to actually help bring an end to all demons is another thing entirely.

"I understand why you are doing this, I'm just not sure I can be a part of it," Kagome admitted before falling into silence as he finished washing her arm and moved to her face and neck. Ungai remained silent the entire time as well, watching her stare off at nothing, until he had finished and stood back up to his full height. Eying her silently for a few moments, Ungai finally nodded to herself as if he had come to a conclusion.

"I understand, child. There is still time left for you to think it over. I will be awaiting your answer, but until then, it is time we break our fast. If you are ready, I will guide you out as I leave," Ungai offered and Kagome nodded her head in thanks before rising to her feet and allowing him to escort her outside into the morning sun. Instantly Kagome could hear some of the priests becoming silent the moment she exited her hut, but already used to such behavior, she paid their attitude little mind.

* * *

"Are you alright, Lady Sango?" Miroku inquired a bit confused after she had suddenly stopped just before they crossed the threshold into her village. Truthfully he thought she had been acting strange she woke up that morning, but at first he had just chalked it up to her worrying about how things were going with Kagome. But now as she stopped and seemed to stare at the building her family lived in with what seemed to be apprehension, he was sure whatever it was that was causing her to act this way was connected to those they were about to see.

"I'm fine, monk," Sango grumbled after an entire minute had passed in silence, apparently deciding to vent her frustrations on him as she practically spit the word 'monk' out like an insult. Knowing she wasn't really annoyed at him, Miroku decided to let it slide before starting forward once more. As he turned back to make sure she was still following, he found the guards were closing the gates; finally able to now that they were no longer standing in the way.

Unknown to him, Sango silently repeated a mantra over and over again in her mind, assuring herself that she could in fact do this. One step after another her feet moved on their own accord, bringing her closer to her father's house. The home she had grown up in, one she had never planned on stepping foot in again after her family had been slaughtered. But here she was, with no one inside understanding why she was never there, why she couldn't bear to move back home again.

Thoughts on the matter would have to be put aside though as her father made an appearance in the doorway, apparently having heard their approach. "It is about time you come home, daughter. Well come inside, Kohaku will be happy to see you have come," he greeted before he stepped back inside excepting them to follow after. Waiting for her to make the first move, Miroku watched Sango in silence for a long moment before she finally moved forward and made her way inside the house.

Shrugging his shoulders to himself, Miroku followed after her, stepping inside into the dimly lit room to find the others already sitting around a low table; cups of tea being passed around. Though Kohaku was sitting properly, he could easily spot his excitement of his sister's return as he was sitting extremely close and his large eyes were glued on her. Smiling softly to himself and making a mental note to remind her to come home more often after this was all over, Miroku took a seat on her other side.

"As I doubt you have come just for a visit, perhaps you should explain what has brought you here, daughter. Not that I am complaining, any reason for a visit is a good reason," he insisted with a gentle smile as he placed his tea cup down on the table and turned his full attention to his daughter. A long moment had passed in silence and Miroku was beginning to wonder if he himself was going to be expected to explain things when she finally began to speak.

"Lead by Priest Ungai, the holy ones are about to set in motion a plan that will end the war between humans and demons forever. I am here to ask the villagers to go protect them while they are completing their plan so that they may do so safely. The plan should go off before any resistance can be mounted so it will be minimal risk for the slayers," Sango assured him only to be met by a confused expression from her father.

"You want us to help the priests destroy every demon, by the sound of it, but what about Kirara. Would not she too be endanger? I can not believe that you would want us to help, or you yourself would aid, those seeking to harm her. She has been by your side since you were but a baby, surely you would not forsake her now," he insisted as both he and Kohaku stared at her in shock.

"Do not misunderstand, father. I would sooner endanger my own life than hers. There is not time to prevent their attack, we can only try and save as many as we can, but let this information go no further than this room. The priests must not know we are working against them as one of our own is still within their camp and her life could be in danger if the truth was known too early. Or worse yet, they could move up their timetable and not give us enough time to put our own plan into motion.

"We can not save all of them, but we will be saving as many as we can; those we know are no danger to humans, our allies. The priests do not really need protection as it is unlikely they will be in danger, but we will have a better chance of getting them to believe we are on their side if we send our own allies to protect them. And we needed an excuse to leave their camp so we could get word to the rest of our group."

"Very well, we shall start preparing first thing in the morning. You can rest assured that I will not say a word to the others of the real plan. Keep yourself safe and when this is over daughter, you should come home more often. Your family misses you," her father insisted and Kohaku was quick to agree. In response, Sango gave them a half-hearted smile, but they did not seem to realize it lack sincerity.

"Forgive me, father, but I have just had too much work outside of the village and it has kept me away longer than I had intended. Perhaps after this is done, I will have more time to visit. But for now, we must be going, there is still more we must do and there is not much time to get it done. Be safe father, I shall see you soon," Sango promised before rising and after a quick round of goodbyes, made her way back outside.

After bowing goodbye to the others, Miroku followed her back out of their home. Though on the outside he was quiet, inside his mind was going a mile a minute as he tried to understand just what it was that had the slayer acting so strangely. One would think that she would look forward to seeing her family again after they had been dead for so long, he himself knew he would consider himself truly blessed if he was able to have his father back, but instead, she seemed to dread seeing them.

Though confused by her attitude, Miroku held his tongue until he was sure they were too far away from the village for anyone to over hear them. "Mind explaining what that was all about, Lady Sango? Forgive me for saying so, but you seem to be acting strangely today and are not quite as happy to see your family alive and well as one might expect you to be," he pointed out causing Sango to stop in her tracks where she was a few feet in front of him.

After a moment, she began walking again as she called over her shoulder, "I am truly happy that they are alive again, even if it may not seem like it. I can think of nothing I could possibly want more than to have my family with me again. It is just that I still remember them being dead, I remember their deaths. I have simply not gotten used to the idea that they are alive again and whole rather than some half-broken attempt like Kikyou was.

"I am overjoyed that they are alive, that they are real and that this is not just some dream that I am going to wake up from at any moment, I am simply just slow to adjust. But it matters not for I would rather have to deal with being a bit unsettled by this than for them to be lost to me once more. I simply need time," Sango assured him before disappearing into the treeline they had been heading toward. Giving one last look at the village behind him, Miroku shrugged his shoulders and followed after her.

* * *

Inuyasha had awoken a few moments before the sun would have begun to rise that morning and after a quick breakfast, had taken off in the direction he knew the wolf's den to be. Not bothering to eat himself, Sesshoumaru had departed as soon as Inuyasha was beginning to build the fire and since that moment, the half-demon had found himself completely alone for the first time in a long time. The thought unsettled him greatly.

Though there had been other times he had taken off to scout ahead or hunt for the group, he was never far from where the group was waiting for him; always knowing they would be waiting for his return. From the moment Kagome had released him from the tree, he always had someone beside him and even after she had joined his brother, the others had remained with him. He found it strange, for most of his entire life he had been alone and in fact had only know what it felt like to be surrounded by others for the last few years, but he found himself completely unsettled by being alone.

Inuyasha soon decided that this meant the others were spoiling him with their presence, but he found he did not mind it so much. In fact, as far as he was concerned, it was about time someone was spoiling him and making his life a little bit easier. It was just too bad that Kagome wasn't around as much as he would have liked her to be, but she was alive and protected and he knew that was better than the alternative.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts of Kagome and the others from his mind, Inuyasha paused on the next tree branch he landed on and glanced down at the forest below him. In all their travels, they had only come out this way a few times, the last time being quite a while ago, and he found himself struggling to remember how to get to Kouga's den. He knew the entrance was up on a mountain, just above a large waterfall, but there were mountains in three of the four directions and they were still to far off for him to spot any source of water.

Annoyed at himself for being unable to remember, Inuyasha scratched behind his ear with his foot in a very dog-like way as he tried to picture their last trip here in his mind. All he could remember was that he had been arguing with Kagome about not wanting to go anywhere near the wolf and had in fact been trying to travel in another direction from where he thought the den was, but had misjudged and had taken them close enough for the wolf to notice their presence.

If that had not been bad enough, they were having some strange celebration and had insisted they stay for the remainder, which had turned out to be almost a week. Nearly an entire week he was stuck in an unventilated cave with the smelly wolves and Inuyasha found himself praying to never have to be subjected to that again. But since they had only stayed at Kagome's insistence and she was no longer a member of their group, the chances of that happening were very slim. He was safe, but Inuyasha found himself silently enjoying the fact that his half-brother might not be.

As Inuyasha sat smirking to himself high above the ground, he missed the arrival of someone below him until he had to quickly reach his hand out to catch the rock that was thrown before it could hit him in the face. Growling as he tossed the rock over his shoulder, he glanced down to find Kouga standing below him with an annoyed expression marring his face. "You plan on staying up there all night or are you going to tell me what you are doing on my territory, mutt?"

"Bite me," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath using a phrase he remembered Kagome saying to him on more than one occasion, not for a moment believing the wolf would take the words seriously if he had managed to hear them. In fact, Kouga had heard him, but merely stood there staring at him in confusion as he tried to figure out why the half-demon wanted to be bitten by him. "Was on my way to pay a visit to your den, I bring word from Kagome."

Hearing the magic word, Kouga forgot all about his earlier words and gestured for him to continue after quickly glancing around to make sure the girl herself was in fact not there. Effortlessly dropping down to the ground in front of him, Inuyasha explained, "The priests are making a move against demons and Kagome plans on saving as many demons as she can. The plan is to gather them all up in one spot," he began only to be interrupted by a growling wolf.

"Gathering up? What are you a coward? I'm going to go stop the priests myself then," Kouga insisted as he moved to take off only to have Inuyasha grab onto his tail to stop him. His high pitch wail had Inuyasha's ears laying flat against his head as they tried to block out the noise. "What the hell did you do that for?" Kouga demanded as he wrenched his tail out of his hands and began soothing the injured appendage.

"Like I said, I bring word from Kagome. This is her plan not mine and if it was possible to stop the priests, I would be here telling you that plan instead. There is not enough time to find them all to ensure they could not carry out their plan without those we took care of and you know damn well Kagome would not let you kill that many humans. Whether she agreed with what they were doing or not.

"Don't be an idiot for once and use this time wisely. Gather up your tribe and get them to the clearing by Kagome's home as soon as possible. You have only a matter of days. And do not use Kagome's name, she is with the priests at the moment and we do not want them finding out she's not really working with them and end up stopping her from finishing her plan. I need to head out now, but do us both a favor and listen to me for once," Inuyasha insisted before he took off back into the forest before Kouga could say another word.

Kouga's eyes followed his departure for a few moments as he continued to nurse his frazzled tail before finally letting it drop and calling over his shoulder to where he knew his men would be waiting. "Ginta, Hakkaku, head out and warn the other tribes about what is going on and lead them back to the clearing yourselves. It would take too long to find it themselves by definition alone. I will get our own tribe ready to move." That said he turned and began rushing back toward his own den; traveling at a speed too fast for them to follow if they had wanted to even without the help of the shards.

* * *

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru called out from outside of the hut he had left them in some time before, startling the two occupants inside. Grumbling to himself about the hot water he has spilled on himself, Jaken quickly jumped to his feet and made his way outside to greet him. Ignoring the way the soaked and bowing demon before him was acting, as it wasn't anything new, Sesshoumaru continued, "There has been a change of plans.

"Ride Ah-Un and take Rin toward the well near Kagome's village. The is a cave not far off from the well, go there and do not leave. Let no one know of your presence there." Sesshoumaru paused for a moment as he watched Rin walk outside to join them, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Confused by his lord's silence, Jaken turned around and noticed her presence as well.

"What is going on, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin wondered softly a bit confused herself by the way he was acting. He had never taken them out of the hut in the middle of winter before and though she was still half asleep, even she noticed that the newest member of their group was missing. Had something happened to her? Was that why their lord was acting so strangely?

"It is the end Rin," Sesshoumaru explained cryptically before turning his attention back to Jaken. "Gather your things and go now." Though Rin continued to stare at him in silence for a few minutes, Jaken quickly nodded and made his way back inside. It was not long before they could hear him packing things away inside. Deciding she should probably help least she angered Sesshoumaru, Rin finally followed after him.

Waiting to be heading out soon himself, Sesshoumaru busied himself getting Ah-Un ready for their departure and helped to attach their bags to his saddle as soon as Jaken began carrying them outside. Seeing as they had few belongings, it was not long before everything was ready to go and Sesshoumaru watched as they climbed onto Ah-Un's back. "I will join you soon," Sesshoumaru assured them before signaling for the dragon to take off and stood there watching until he could no longer see them. Then he began heading West.


	30. The Innocence of Children

Title: The Innocence of Children  
Author: Hairann

Theme: Manners  
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Canon

Rating: T

Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 2126

Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

Prompt Summary: Curiosity wins by a nose.

AN: Part 30 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Sighing in relief after tying off the last bandage for the final child waiting to be tended, Kagome linked her fingers before stretching her arms over her head. Working out the kinks she had developed while bending over and tending to the children, she groaned in satisfaction as the tension was released. Having already dismissed her helper and certain she was the last one in the hut, besides those that were currently sleeping, Kagome began to slowly make her way toward the door.

Careful not to bump into anything, she used the wall to guide her way back toward the door, finding it with only a little bit of difficultly. The moment she stepped out into the night, she realized just how stale the air within the hut had been. Instantly the fresh, crisp night air filled her lungs, shocking her motionless. Pulling herself back under control, Kagome squinted her eyes and glanced around, trying to get her barrings.

Spotting the glowing flames of the campfire a ways off, she began slowly making her way toward it only to be stopped after a few steps when she heard voices rushing toward her. Not wanting to run into anyone, Kagome waited silently for them to pass her by, but instead a large group of children stopped directly in front of her. Just as she was about to consider going around them, she was stopped by their words.

"Thank you, Kagome-sama!" they cheered almost as one before rushing forward and hugging her around her legs. Though most were too short to reach any higher, a few of the older kids managed to get their hands around her waist and Kagome had to fight to keep standing after the sudden bombardment of bodies against hers. Unable to say anything at the moment due to the shock, Kagome laughed in delight over their affection.

Unable to stop smiling, she let the children lead her toward the fire as they called out reminders that it was time to eat. Even before she got close enough to feel the heat from the flames, she could sense Ungai heading her way and watched through blurry eyes as the children scattered, waving goodbyes over their shoulders. Smiling once more at their antics, she turned her attention to the priest just as he stopped next to her.

"I have saved a place for you here, child. Your plate is already made," Ungai informed her as he gently took hold of her arm and guided her to the spot next to where he had been sitting a few moments before. Smiling her thanks to him, and fighting the urge to point out that she didn't actually need help to sit down, Kagome allowed him to help her take her seat and accepted the plate he handed her. As she began to eat, she could hear him retaking his own seat next to hers.

Kagome remained silent as she tried to figure out exactly what she was eating, knowing it was only a matter of time before the priest began to speak once more. She found he was very rarely silent in her presence and found herself wondering if he was always that talkative or if she was simply a special case. She was sure trying to convert somebody to your cause would require quite a bit of talking. "Do you understand now, child? That your place is helping the innocent," he questioned as he gestured toward the group of children eating not far from them.

"That goes without saying, Ungai," Kagome insisted, refraining from pointing out that demons could be innocent as well. Shippo was a great example of that, but she doubted the priest would agree. In fact, she knew he wouldn't and she did not feel like arguing the point with the bunch of closed minded idiots around her. Plus it wouldn't exactly help her plan succeed. Ungai, on the other hand, misinterpreted her words; hearing in them only what he wanted.

As far as he was concerned, she had just admitted that humans were the only ones who were innocent and she had agreed to help protect them. Though Kagome could easily tell, even without being able to see his expression clearly, that he had not really understood her words, she decided it would be best not to correct him. If he believed her to be on their side he would be a happy priest and a happy priest made her job a lot easier.

* * *

She had tried her best. She really had and Jaken couldn't help but be proud of her. He had seen determined look on her face every time he glanced over at her to make sure she was okay. Jaken could see her fighting her nature to ask questions, but he knew it was a battle she would soon lose. No matter how well behaved or how good of manners she had, Rin was always going to be a curious creature; much like the priestess that had recently joined their group.

As he waited for her to lose the battle, Jaken found himself wondering if all humans were as curious as they were or if it was just them. Though as he watched Rin scrunch up her nose in concentration, he decided it was probably true that they were in a league of their own, no one else could possibly be a curious as they were. A soft sigh came from the girl next to him and Jaken knew the battle had been lost.

"Master Jaken," Rin called out softly, turning toward him with a slight apologetic smile, "what is going on? Why did Lord Sesshoumaru remove us from the hut while Winter is still going and send us somewhere else? Where is Kagome-chan?" Her questions asked, she once again fell silent, her eyes trained on the horizon as she waited for him to respond. Clenching her little fist, she fought the urge to repeat her questions when he hadn't instantly answered.

"I do not know, Rin, but I am sure Lord Sesshoumaru knows what he is going. Our lord knows best and all we need worry about is listening to him. And I am sure the priestess is fine, after all, she is under the protection of Lord Sesshoumaru. You do not doubt his ability to protect her, do you?" Jaken inquired without any heat behind his words. Even before the little girl had begun shaking her head enthusiastically, he knew she had faith in their lord and used that knowledge to his advantage.

Taking his attention off of Rin as he noticed they were nearing their destination, Jaken urged Ah-Un to land and instructed Rin to hold on tighter. Soon enough the dragon had landed with practiced ease and Jaken quickly climbed down after glancing around to make sure there was nothing nearby to attack them. "Wait here," he instructed in a very Sesshoumaru like manner before scouting the interior of the cave to make sure no animals or other demons had made it their home.

Satisfied it was safe, Jaken made his way back outside and gestured for Rin to climb down. Motioning for them to follow, Jaken made his way back into the cave for the second time, making sure to head in deep enough that they would be out of both the snow and the cold wind. As Rin began getting out a few things from the bags, Jaken glanced around for firewood, but soon found there were only a few sticks within the cave.

Anything he found outside would be far too wet to burn and as he thought about it for a moment, a fire would not be the best plan right now anyways. The smoke would alert others to their presence and Sesshoumaru had instructed him to not let that happen. Of course, he couldn't let Rin freeze to death either. Shaking his head, Jaken made his way over to where Ah-Un had settled in and grabbed one of the fur blankets out of its packs.

Sitting down beside the young girl, Jaken wrapped them both up in the blanket, hoping his small amount of body heat would help to keep her warm. As she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, Rin whispered, "Master Jaken, when is Lord Sesshoumaru coming back?" Already used to her asking such a question when ever they were left behind, Jaken didn't miss a beat before telling her that he didn't know. Not wanting her to dwell on it, he instructed her to sleep before falling into silence once more.

* * *

Cold, tired and in desperate need of a meal, a lone priest finally arrived at his destination, ignoring the inquiring glances from the others around him. He could understand why they were so confused, they knew he had been sent on an important mission and they were not expecting him back yet, but he did not have time to explain things to everyone. He would leave that up to Head Priest Ungai if he so decided to.

For now, he simply needed to pass on the information he had to him, grab a quick bite to eat and return to where he had left his partner with a nice, hot meal. Spotting Ungai in his customary seat beside the fire, the priest quickly made his way over, all eyes instantly turning to him. "Head Priest," he greeted before taking the offered seat beside him and thanking another priest for the mug of hot tea he was given.

After indicating he would be needing two meals instead of one as another priest inquired, he turned his attention back to Ungai and informed him, "We followed them all the way to the slayer's village they had claimed they were going to, however, before arriving there, the slayer was gone for a long time. We were unable to follow as she had gone to bathe, but we feared it was all a ruse as it should not have taken that long for her to bathe. We felt it warranted reporting."

"You have made a wise decision, though sadly it is not a surprising development. It was the likelihood that they would try something that prompted me to send you to watch them, but it matters little. Even if she did warn the demons during her absence, there is nothing they could do not to stop the end from coming. The Kami are on our side and will see to it that the hand of justice fell upon the evils of this world.

"Rest for a moment and gather your strength, then return to the other. Continue to keep an eye on them and report back anything else that happens. Perhaps they can make things easier for us to counteract by giving away their plans," Ungai suggested before dismissing the priest now that his food was ready and was no doubt wanting to eat in peace. Turning his attention away from him, Ungai glanced out around their camp and quickly spotted Kagome surrounded by children.

As he watched in silence from his place beside the fire, he saw her laugh at something one of the little girls had said before crying out in pain a moment later. A bit confused, he continued to watch for a moment before realizing a drop of blood had appeared on her lip. Apparently laughing had reopened her split lip. Rising to his feet, Ungai silently made his way over before taking hold of the cloth she was attempting to clean her lip with and gently doing it for her.

Once it was clean and he was sure it wouldn't bleed anymore, he took a step back to survey the damage. "It is almost healed, child. There should be little more than a few temporary scars by the night of darkness. You will certainly be well enough to stand beside us if that is what you choose to do," Ungai assured her, carefully watching her facial expressions to see how she would react to his words.

Though disappointed, he was not surprised when she pierced her lips instead of answering. Apparently realizing he was still waiting for an answer, Kagome gave him a slight smile, unaware he could see it was faked, before thanking him and mumbling something about needing to do something. Silently, Ungai watched to walk away before shaking his head at her refusal to see the truth of things. Even after everything she had been through, she still was unwilling to stay beside him against the demons. Waiting until she had disappeared from his sight, Ungai returned to his place beside the fire.


	31. Revealing Truths

Title: Revealing Truths  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Makeshift  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Canon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 3044  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: As Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha inform their allies, Kagome realizes an unsurprising truth about herself.

AN: Part 31 of Voluntary Obligation.

As Sesshoumaru stood outside the entrance to the large castle before him, he did not have to remind himself that he had never wished to return to this place again. What the last trip almost cost him...it was not something he wanted to remember, but simply being there was enough to bring it to the front of his mind. Mentally shaking his head to clear the depressing thoughts of his last visit, Sesshoumaru did what he did best.

He pretended nothing was bothering him and with his head held high, he made his way into the castle; ignoring its subjects as they gave him inquiring looks. It wasn't hard to figure out what they were wondering, even if he had been unable to overhear their whispered conversations. It wasn't everyday the wayward son returned to pay his mother a visit. If he was there, there was sure to be an interesting reason.

Passing them by without actually noticing them, Sesshoumaru headed straight for the place he knew his mother would be. Sure enough, a minute later he entered the throne room and found her already waiting for him from her place on the throne. "Your last visit is not long passed and yet here you are again, son. What has brought you to my doorstep this time? I somehow doubt it has to do with your sword," she greeted without so much as a hello.

Not really expecting one, Sesshoumaru wasn't surprised by her distant attitude and decided it would be best to follow her lead and jump right in. "The end is coming, mother. Humans are taking the stand we have been waiting for them to and it is too late for us to do any good if we were to bother trying. We are regrouping at the clearing just outside of Inuyasha's forest where a lone priestess will save as many demons as she can. You need to take your subjects and head there as well."

Sesshoumaru expected many things when it came to how his mother responded; laughing had not been one of them. But that was exactly what she replied with; a robust laughter that had Sesshoumaru turning his eyes to hers in shock at the unaccustomed sound spilling from her lips. "I have never been afraid of a bunch of weak humans. I am not about to start now, let alone be saved by one of them. I do not understand you and your sire's obsession with the weak mortals, but I will not follow suit."

"The threat is real, mother. You need to protect yourself even if that means accepting the help of a human. Some things are worth more than your pride," Sesshoumaru insisted, fighting the urge to growl at her as she began to chuckle at his expense.

"And some are not," she countered before sighing deeply and gesturing toward the door he had come in a minute before. "Leave, Sesshoumaru, you waste your time here. I will not follow in the footsteps of you and your sire," she insisted before rising to her feet and making her way toward a door behind her throne.

Just before she managed to cross the threshold, Sesshoumaru called out to her in one last desperate attempt to make her understand, "I pray you change your mind, mother, and if you do come to the clearing. You have until the night where there is no moon in the sky." Watching as she disappeared through the door without another word, Sesshoumaru shook his head before heading back out the way he had come in.

Really he shouldn't be surprised she had reacted that way; been more concerned about receiving help from a human than saving her own life. Everyone had always assumed he had gotten his pride and stubbornness from his sire, but the truth was he had received those traits from his mother. She was the only one, demon or human, he had ever known to have more pride than himself. And now it was going to cost her.

She would not take his advice, he knew. She would choose her pride over her life just as he would have done just a few short years ago. And just as he had been then, now she was wrong; accepting Kagome's help was not weak. Not when she had to turn her back on her own kind to give it. Kagome was not weak; she was the strongest woman he had even know including his mother. While she may not have physical strength, she had more than her fair share of inner strength.

Flashback

"You are not letting me get hurt, Sesshoumaru, you are fulfilling my request. Your honor will not suffer," Kagome assured him as she took a step toward him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Now hit me."

As Sesshoumaru stared down at the woman before him, he silently prayed that she was joking even though he knew just how she serious she was. He could see it in the determined way she held her shoulders strong under his scrutiny. In the way her brow furrowed ever so slightly. He could hear it in her steady heartbeat that thundered in his ears at her proximity. In her deep, even breaths that snowed no sign of hitching in nervousness.

Sesshoumaru could smell it in the way her perspiration did not change into nervous sweats. In the way her scent stayed as it had always been; clean and fresh. She swallowed no lumps in her throat, never darted her eyes away from his. Always before when she stood up against him, whether she was friend or foe, there had been signs of her fear and nervousness, but now there was nothing. And he knew she could not hide her emotions, keep them locked away behind a mask as he did, which could only mean she simply did not feel them.

She did not feel scared or nervous about what she was asking of him. Kagome simply trusted him so much that even the thought of him having to beat her did not worry her in the least. She was so positive that she would be just fine, that Sesshoumaru couldn't help but believe in her conviction even if he couldn't believe in himself. Drawing in a deep breath through his nose, Sesshoumaru allowed her scent to fill his mind; memorizing exactly as it was now unpolluted by pain and injury.

Soon enough the blood would rush toward the surface, attracted by her forming bruises and overpower her natural smell. The one thing Sesshoumaru could take solace in was the fact that by the time the bruises reached their yellowing stage, where the scent would be laced with both stale blood and sickly skin, she would be far out of his range of smell. He would not have to suffer through her worst moments.

Exhaling, Sesshoumaru fought to keep his eyes open, not wanting to chance seriously injuring her because he couldn't bear to watch, he reached back and punched her in the face with barely any of his strength behind it. Though Kagome seemed able to tell, judging by the annoyed look she shot him after her head recoiled, she said nothing. Honestly she couldn't blame him for wanting to go easy on her and even at the current strength he should still be able to do enough damage to convince Ungai of his betrayal.

Without warning, Sesshoumaru struck again and again, moving away from her face when he could no longer stand to hit her there. The moment she lost consciousness, he had already noticed and reached out to catch her in his arms before she could fall to the ground. Holding her bridal style, Sesshoumaru surveyed the damage he had done and could already see some of the worst spots starting to bruise. Doing his best to tune out the injuries to her face, he glanced down at her closed eyes and pressed her flush against his chest whispering a barely audible apology.

Standing up straight with more strength than he possessed at that moment, Sesshoumaru walked away from the spot in the forest that was now littered with droplets of her crimson blood, completely unaware of the others joining him as he made his way to the spot he was supposed to leave her. At any other moment he would be angry and call himself weak for being so wrapped up in a single, human girl that he would be oblivious to potential dangers around him, but at that moment he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Sesshoumaru would have all the time in the world to hate himself for this moment, and plenty of reasons why, but for now all that could matter was making sure things went as planned. If not, then all of this would have been for nothing. Spotting the sight they had decided on, that would put her in the direct path of the incoming priests according to intelligence they had gathered, Sesshoumaru gently laid her down in the snow; finally noticing the two humans that would be joining her as they moved over to check on their unconscious friend.

Finally having the chance to take a good look at them, he noticed they too were sporting bruises that were just beginning to form and the monk was nursing a bloody nose. Though both had gotten off much easier than Kagome, it was easy to tell that the slayer had gotten off the easiest. Giving his newest ward one more unnoticed glance, Sesshoumaru turned without a word and made his way back into the forest he had just come from.

Behind him, he could hear Inuyasha making sure the others would be okay before following after him, but paid him little mind. If he was so dead set on being around him when Sesshoumaru wanted nothing more than to be alone, he wasn't about to make it easy on him. "It had to be done," Inuyasha insisted as though Sesshoumaru didn't already know that, when he finally caught up just as his brother was turning back to watch the exchange from the cover of the forest.

"Of that I am well aware, little brother," Sesshoumaru replied mockingly as he kept his eyes glued to Kagome's unmoving form. "But one need not like the inevitable to make it so," he insisted before falling into silence as their 'guests' arrived below them and they watched in tense silence as the others explained what had happened to them. Fighting against his instincts demanding he tear the priest limb from limb for daring to touch another under his protection, Sesshoumaru dug his claws into his palm and focused his anger on them.

It had the desired effect and was enough to calm him down long enough for the others to leave. Waiting until he was sure they would be too far to hear him, he let go of his control and reveled in the feeling of the transformation beginning to take effect. Having received no warning, Inuyasha was barely able to get out of the way before a giant paw appeared where he had been standing. "Would it kill you to give me a little warning?" Inuyasha demanded without any heat as he turned to glare at his half-brother only to find him already taking off deeper into the forest.

The trees in his path stood little chance of remaining standing as he tore through them with his massive body. As Inuyasha watched him disappear in silence, sure he would make his way back to camp once he had blown off some steam, he shook his head at the destruction left in his wake and began making his own way back to camp.

End Flashback 

* * *

Late that night, long after the moon had risen high in the sky, Kagome lay awake n the bed she was borrowing from the priests as her thoughts too turned back to that day. As much as Sesshoumaru had not wanted to give into her demand, she had not wanted to demand it. She knew how much it hurt him to have to hit her because that was how much it hurt her to be hit by him; and she didn't mean the physical pain.

Turning her thoughts away from that day, knowing it would do nothing but cause her emotional pain, Kagome focused on what was going on around her. Though everyone had long since gone to bed and all was quiet she knew tomorrow would be the same as it had been today and the day before. The priests would be putting finishing touches on their plan to wipe out an entire species. All because of a few bad apples. As though all humans were perfect.

Had they forgotten about Onigumo or Tsubaki? Both of which had started out completely human and had become evil long before making their deals with demons. Not to mention the monsters some humans will turn into without the existence of demons to help them devolve into soulless, evil murderers. By their reasoning, they should just wipe out any intelligent species for if there is good, there is certain to be evil.

If it was okay to kill off every demon because a small percentage of them killed humans, then could the same not be said for the humans as there were those that took each others' lives? Sighing audibly to herself, Kagome cleared her mind of questions she would never have the answers to and turned her thoughts back to her demon lord. Even as she realized how possessive her thoughts sounded, she understood the truth behind the omission.

Though she had to admit she wasn't all that surprised by this new realization. And as much as she wanted to blame it on their connection caused by her resurrection, she knew that was not the main reason. And it certainly wasn't the only reason for her latest understanding. Honestly speaking, she wasn't shocked either. The pain she had gone through for his sake was enough to form a bone to him, even if it had been subconscious at first.

And as she had decided the night she returned from the future, it would give her something to do during the winter. And it had; this was not something that sprang to life overnight. No, Kagome had to admit that this was a long time coming, but she could at least pin point the moment that had gotten the ball rolling. The moment he had stepped in front of her and shielded her from the arrow, no matter what his reason for doing so had been, he had set the course in motion.

She had simply been along for the ride and now that they had reached their destination, she was going to have to tell him. She would have to admit to Sesshoumaru that she had fallen in love with him. It wasn't that she minded this fact or even that she would have to tell him, but that she wouldn't be able to take her time and move as slowly as she would have liked. There was no way to know how all of this was going to end and if things went wrong, she might not have the chance again.

Kagome couldn't bear the thought of things being left undone and silently swore to herself that she wouldn't let it. She would make sure Sesshoumaru would know how she felt even if he could never feel the same. Chuckling softly to herself in the darkness, Kagome had to admit to herself, "It seems that loving members of the white dog clan seemed to be part of my makeshift destiny." She was of course referring to how it seemed to alter itself to keep up with the ever changing past. 

* * *

Certain he had informed all he had decided to, Inuyasha began making his way back to the clearing they would be meeting at; wanting to arrive before any of the others in case they had any further questions. Plus, it was already going to be difficult enough to have all the different types of demons in one place when many were sworn enemies and having to be protected by a human girl had probably ruffled a few feathers.

He couldn't chance putting that mess on anyone else's shoulders, other than perhaps his half-brother, but he should take far longer than Inuyasha as he had more distance to cover. Though he had only a few clans of full demons to talk to, Inuyasha had also stopped by the half-demons they had met on their travels to warn them that they may need to go into hiding until things settled down after this. As he traveled, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how Kagome was going to pull all of this off.

Already members of the wolf, fox, bat and even otter clans were heading this way and that wasn't even counting any they spread the word to or that Sesshoumaru informed himself. Hundreds of demons could easily end up heading there and Kagome was supposed to save them all. As strong as he knew her to be now, he still couldn't fathom how she could possibly plan on saving everyone, but as Sesshoumaru had said, they had to leave that up to her.

As Inuyasha landed on the top of a large tree and glanced around to make sure he was still heading the right way, he couldn't help but think how ironic it was that his human blood was what was going to save him. The one thing everyone, except for perhaps Kagome, had always seen as weakness was going to save him. If Kagome had not realized what was going on or if her plan failed, he would be one of the few left alive because he was a half-demon.

All because he would simply be human that night. "Who was weak now?" Inuyasha mocked quietly to himself before spring boarding off of the treetop and leaping to another as he began heading in the direction of the clearing once again.

* * *

AN: Had some readers mention that the half-demons would have different human nights since it wouldn't be much of a secret if they all shared the same night, but as you can see I didn't go with that idea for this story. For one, I didn't think about it before hand lol and two, if you really think about it, no one would really care or be able to use it against them.

Humans would be unable to use it because they would be unable to tell the difference between half-demons on their human nights and full humans.

Demons are too arrogant to think they would need it and to them any day/night is a good enough reason to attack a half-demon.

Other half-demons would of course not use it against each other since the same could be done to them. And since Naraku wasn't a real half-demon, he didn't have a human night and we know he didn't know about them or he would have used it against Inuyasha.

And basically in order for them to even know a human night existed, they would actually have to pay some attention to half-demons and we all know they don't.


	32. The Final Dawn

Title: The Final Dawn  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Horizon  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Canon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 1804  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: Everyone gets ready as the final day dawns. Heads up warning: the next chapter is the last one!

AN: Part 32 of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

Even without there being any windows in her hut, Kagome could swear she could feel the warm rays of the morning sun on the horizon caressing her face. As her mind began to clear the fog that had settled during the night, she realized what this particular dawn meant; it was the day of the new moon. No matter the outcome of the upcoming war between the humans and demons, everything would end today. In as little as 12 hours the sun that was currently rising would be setting on what would be the last day many demons saw.

Shaking her head to clear the morbid, if not accurate, thought, Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she opened them for the first time that morning. Seeing a bit of light out of the corner of her eyes, Kagome turned her head toward it and realized her sight was beginning to come back. Gently reaching up to touch the bruises around her eyes, she found they were much smaller then they had been the last time she checked.

Though now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember when the last time she had checked had been. It was perfect timing as far as she was concerned, her eyesight would definitely come in handy today. Stretching out the kinks that had settled during the night, she decided right after breakfast would be a good time to start heading back to the others. The trip was already going to take hours and there was no way to know if any problems were going to arise along the way.

This was the worst possible day for her to be late. Knowing there was no time like the present to get her day started, Kagome climbed off of her futon and began to get dressed. A few minutes later as she was making her way outside toward where she could hear the priests' voices coming from, she felt a gentle hand on her arm and glanced over to find Ungai leading her toward the others as he had done every morning. "Good morning, Ungai. And for once it actually is. I am beginning to be able to see again," she told him and made no move to stop him from helping her even though she no longer needed it.

"Then it is a good day indeed and sheds blessing onto us this day. Though I am afraid we have run out of time and I must insist on your answer," Ungai pressed and Kagome wondered about her chances of getting him to wait until after breakfast. Judging by the look of determination and seriousness she could just make out on his face, that was not going to happen. Taking a deep breath, Kagome turned toward him with a sad smile as she patted the hand that held her.

"Though I will not stop you, Ungai, neither can I join you. While I desperately want him to pay for his crimes against me," she began deciding it was best to stick with the lie for now, "I can not hold all of them responsible for the actions of a few. I pray you stay safe today." Wanting to head out as soon as possible, Kagome gave him one last smile and patted his hand before moving to leave, deciding she could wait on breakfast, when she realized he refused to release her hand. "What?" she uttered confused before realizing other forms were closing in around her.

Glancing back to Ungai, she found him shaking his head with a sad look in his eyes. "I am afraid I can not permit you to leave until everything is over this day. I am sorry my child, I truly I am, but I must do all that I can to protect the lives of those that are willing to help. I can not risk you warning those that would stand against us. You have my word that all will be over soon and you shall be released then," he told her and before Kagome could ask what he meant, he had signaled to the other priests.

Before she knew what was happening, Kagome was being dragged back into her hut and gently knocked down onto her futon. As she struggled to get up, she could hear the wooden door being slammed shut and something heavy being locked in place. Rushing over to try and open the door, even though she knew it would do her no good, Kagome began to pound on the hard wood when it refused to yield. "Ungai let me out of here! You can't do this!" Kagome insisted but her words fell on deaf ears for the moment they were sure the door would hold, the priests had already left to begin their journey. 

* * *

As the cloud of power dissipated beneath his feet, Sesshoumaru silently landed in a clearing just a few feet away from the mouth of the cave he had sent his wards to. An experimental sniff later and he was sure the three of them were safe and still inside where they were supposed to be. Not wanting to waste anytime, he headed straight inside and soon came upon Jaken doing his best to try and keep Rin warm.

Gesturing for him to remain silent, as he did not want to wake her, Sesshoumaru lifted Rin into his arms and motioned for the other two to follow. Back outside in the cold, it wasn't long before he was rising into the air once more with Jaken and Ah-Un behind him. They traveled in silence for once as the two chattiest of the group were either asleep or not there. Moving as quickly as they were and with not being that far away to begin with, it did not take long for them to arrive in the clearing.

Having already been able to smell their presence, he was expecting the group that was waiting for them; even if he only knew a few of their names. "Nice timing. I just got back myself," Inuyasha informed him as he noticed his presence and turned his attention toward him and away from the young fox demon he had been speaking to. One Sesshoumaru did not recognize. "I kept to the treetops on the way back and there are demons heading here for miles around.

"I have no idea how she plans to save them all or even keep them from finding out about this. That many different kinds of demons heading to one place sticks out like a sore thumb," Inuyasha continued without caring whether Sesshoumaru knew what Kagome's futuristic expression meant or not.

"That is simply something we must leave up to her to worry about. We have our own obligations to tend with. Speaking of," Sesshoumaru paused for a moment as he glanced around at the others who had already arrived and those he could see approaching in the distance. "As they arrive, have them move together as tightly as they can. There is no telling how much time there will be once Kagome returns.

"It would be prudent for us to be ready when she does." Turning away from Inuyasha without waiting for a response, Sesshoumaru noticed all the demonic members of their own groups were already there. Quickly deciding it would be a good idea to start with them, Sesshoumaru gently placed the still sleeping girl in his arms in his brother's before calling Ah-Un into the middle of the clearing. Placing Jaken on the back of their saddle, he put Kirara, Shippo and his father in front of him before turning back to his brother.

"Leave enough room for Kagome and myself in the middle and circle the others around where we'll be. As you do not need to be protected tonight, you will be in charge of making sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to," Sesshoumaru instructed before finally turning his attention back to the little girl in his brother's arms as he fell silent. In quiet contemplation, he watched her sleep until she stirred slightly and he brought himself back to the present. "If anything goes wrong for us, I want your oath that you will take care of her."

"Sesshoumaru, nothing's gonna go wrong. I may not know how she plans to save all of you, but I know if anyone could it's Kagome. You just gotta have faith," Inuyasha assured him before a thought crossed his mind and he found himself wondering if Sesshoumaru had ever had faith in anything before; other than himself of course. Instead of answering, Sesshoumaru pinned him with a determined glare and after only a few moments, Inuyasha had had enough of it. "Fine, fine. I swear that if anything goes wrong, I will take care of the squirt."

Giving him a slight nod of acknowledgment, Sesshoumaru took one last look at Rin before informing his brother, "I am going to hurry them up. They are moving much too slow for my liking." Accustomed to his brother taking off before he could even open his mouth, Inuyasha just stood there staring after him before finally shaking his head. As the bundle in his arms began to move in her sleep, reminding him of her presence, he glanced down wondering what he was supposed to do with her now. 

* * *

About the same time, miles away, Sango and Miroku were quietly making their way toward the others when she broke the silence, "I hope everything is okay with Kagome-chan and she is able to get back to the clearing on her own." Her words died off suddenly as a stray thought crossed her mind and she stopped in her in her tracks before grabbing onto Miroku's arm and forcing him to do the same. "Do you think we should meet up with her?"

"No, I do not, my dead. I believe we should continue on our way to the clearing. It is what we were instructed to do, but Lady Kagome, and besides it would take us longer to get to her from here on foot. I say we do as we were instructed and if we some how manage to beat her there, then we can take Kirara or send Sesshoumaru to get her.

"Either way would take less time and we can not chance being late in case we are needed," Miroku insisted before grabbing the arm that was holding onto him and forcing her to start walking again as he did. "Lady Kagome is probably already there and needing our help," Miroku assured her, having no way of knowing just how wrong he was.


	33. Our Destiny Awaits

Title: Our Destiny Awaits  
Author: Hairann  
Theme: Prison  
Genre: Drama, Action  
AU/CU: Canon  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Mentions violence and mass death.  
Word Count: 2245  
Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.  
Prompt Summary: The end is finally here and all players are in their places. Just a warning, the actual word for the prompt wasn't used, but I'm sure you can figure out how it fits in.

AN: Final part of Voluntary Obligation.

* * *

As Kagome paced the hut, wishing her eyesight was back up to par as she was convinced there was some way to escape that she just wasn't seeing, she fought the urge to kick herself for sending off both of her only allies that had been there. What she wouldn't give right now for either of them to be there to open the door from the outside. Or to even have Inuyasha and his usual brash, superhuman strength inside with her.

If he was, she knew he would be able to make quick work of the walls. She had to get out of there quickly as her time was running out and far too many lives were counting on her. Yet the quiet hut refused to yield to her silent pleas and demands. As she glanced around the small room, squinting with sore eyes that ached from overuse after being unused for so long, Kagome tried to figure out what Inuyasha might do to get out of there on his human night.

Not because this was the very day he would transform at dusk, but because, like her, he was without super human strength on his human night. It was at that moment that she realized her problem and actually chuckled at her own expense. Inuyasha wasn't the brother she should be trying to emulate. Knowing there was nothing of Sesshoumaru's she stood a chance of copying, Kagome threw that idea out the window and did what she did best in times of need; she screamed out his name.

Deciding to give it her all and throw out any misconceptions she might have about being modest out the window right along with her last thought, Kagome began to punch and kick the wall with all her strength as she screamed his name over and over again until her throat had begun to grow hoarse. Making sure not to hide any fear from her voice or aura, she continued her assault without fearing he wouldn't hear her for even a moment.

Her faith was awarded moments later as the wall beside her exploded and she found herself staring into the blood red eyes of a very pissed off demon lord. "Long story short: Ungai locked me in here so I couldn't warn anyone. Guess my acting wasn't as good as I thought it was," she began, speaking quickly even as she stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold on. "Sorry Sesshoumaru, but we are out of time.

"Things begin at sunset," Kagome explained knowing they were already going to be cutting it close even with his demonic speed and not wanting to waste time waiting for permission to touch him. Hearing the urgency in her voice, Sesshoumaru wasted no time wrapping his own arm around her and taking off back toward the clearing. 

* * *

Across Japan, from corner to corner a repetitive scene was unfolding for any who happened to be near enough to witness it. As this moment was guarded as secretly as it could be, the only people that were the to see this moment of history in the making were those that were part of it; the priests currently taking up their posts and the slayers placed there to guard them. While it had been Kagome;s idea to use them and Ungai knew her loyalty did not lie with him, he knew the slayers could be trusted.

They too wished for mankind to be safe from the horde at their door. Certain they were not compromised and knowing they might need their help if something was to go wrong; Ungai had decided it would be best to keep them around. As the moment of sunset moved ever closer to them, each priest and priestess raised their respective staves and bows into the air as they waited on baited breaths for the exact moment the sun had completed its journey.

That was their signal to begin and their anticipation was mounting by the minute. Deep in the forest, climbing to the top of a small mountain that marked the center of their circle around Japan, Ungai was the last to reach his destination. Glancing down at the forest below him sadly, he pushed the thought, that this was supposed to be Lady Kagome's spot, from his mind. She had made her choice, wrong as it might have been, and it was far too late for him to try and change it.

They could do it without her power and they would have to. Bringing his attention back to what was about to happen, Ungai nodded to the two slayers that were patiently waiting for themselves to be needed before climbing up the last few steps to the highest point around. From there he could see for miles in every direction, including the other priests as they too waited in silence. Glancing toward the horizon, Ungai watched as the sun began to set and raised his staff into the air in readiness. 

* * *

Back in the clearing, many miles away, the demons were beginning to grow restless. Never before had so many different kinds, some allies and others foes, been grouped up in one place and forced to wait an unknown amount of time. Already small verbal fights were cropping up among the different factions and it would only get worse. Glancing in the direction they would be coming from, Inuyasha silently prayed for Kagome and his brother to return soon.

But as the first hint of holy power began to charge the air around them, lightly tingling across their skin, he began to fear they would be too late. For the first time in his long life, Inuyasha thanked his father, the Kami and fate for making him a half-demon. What once had thought to be his greatest weakness had now guarantied his survival as the sun dipped before the horizon and he felt the transformation begin.

Around him, the others were far too concerned about their own fates to even notice the difference. "Please hurry," Inuyasha softly pleaded, his words mentally repeated by those that heard him. All at once and coming from every direction, the demons in the clearing felt the power spike at the same moment that a bright pink light appeared where the power originated. Those of the canine families began to howl at the incoming assault, causing Inuyasha to shiver at the sound.

There was something eerily haunting about a large group of demons, who knew their deaths were imminent, howling in whining and fear and anger at the same time. Just as they were about to run from, or toward depending on the individual demon, the assault, a blur of speed and power appeared on the horizon; followed closely by a wave of holy power. Before the demons could even understand what was happening, Sesshoumaru and Kagome had landed in the middle of them.

The instant her feet had touched the ground, she began to call out her powers and push them out away from her; building a barrier that increased in size the further it got away from her. Soon a large, bright pink sphere took up the entire clearing; its opening closing over a split second before the holy power struck. Even within the barrier, they could hear the screams coming from miles around as those that were not so lucky were reached by the power.

Roars of pain echoed in their ears hauntingly as the demonic blood was purified from those not protected by the lone priestess, and though those in the clearing could not see it, the holy power did far more than just cause them excruciating pain. As their demonic selves were purified, disfigured humans were left in their wake. Unable to understand or cope with the sudden changes, most of the demons including all of the lesser ones, were saved from further pain as they died almost instantly.

Those that had lived for hundreds of years were not meant to suffer the human conscious; to experience remorse for all of their past deeds at once. Even if the transformation had not killed them, they would no doubt be driven mad by what they had done. Humanity was not something a demon was ever meant to handle. 

* * *

As Kagome held Sesshoumaru's gaze with her own, refusing to release it as though it was allowing her to draw strength from it, she could feel the slight trickle of blood sliding down over her lip from her nose. Fighting the desire to wipe it away, she continued to poor all of the power she possessed into the shield knowing far too many lives were in her lands to let her exhaustion win out. Silently she repeated over and over in her mind that it would just be a minute more; a few more seconds and she would be able to rest.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her, she felt the assault against her barrier begin to wane. The chanting began to grow louder in her head the weaker the power got as she pushed herself to hold on. Once the power was gone completely, Kagome began to retract her shield; slowly revealing the demons she had saved as it got closer to her. Inch by inch she pulled it back in until only Sesshoumaru and herself remained and it was only then that she noticed the problem.

Holding his gaze with her own and trying to keep the worry out of her voice she informed him, "It's time for you to leave. You can just take a step back and the barrier will let you out. I will not be able to hold this too much longer and when the barrier falls it will implode; purifying anything still inside of it. I need you to take a step back, Sesshoumaru." Instead of moving, Sesshoumaru continued to hold her gaze in silence for a long moment as he thought about her words.

"Including you," Sesshoumaru decided after a moment as he turned his eyes to the drop of blood resting on her upper lip and reached up to wipe it away. Apparently as stubborn as he was, Kagome did not answer for a long moment as she felt the barrier coming closer to her still. Soon they wouldn't even have room to breath.

"You need to leave now, Sesshoumaru. You've run out of time," she insisted before remembering her earlier promise to herself and seeing that he wasn't moving. Deciding now was as good a time as any to give him a reason to want to leave her, Kagome began, "Since this will probably be my last chance to tell you, there is something I want you to know." Feeling her power beginning to wane, she called upon every last once of strength she possessed and pushed on.

"I want you to know that I love you. Not because of my obligation to you or some strange sense of connection to you. I assure you that my feelings are completely voluntary," she insisted and once again, he held his tongue. Only this time, he graced her with a brief, but genuine smile. 

* * *

Outside of the shrinking barrier, the rest of the clearing's occupants began to wonder what was going on. Kagome and Sesshoumaru should have come out long before now that everyone was safe, but neither seemed inclined to do so. Confused eyes turned toward Inuyasha as if he had the answers and the temporary human could do little more than shrug his shoulders. Even if it wasn't his human night, Inuyasha doubted he would have any better idea of what was happening if a clearing full of demons didn't.

Before anyone could say anything, and no doubt insist he do something, the pink barrier began to expand again. This time it only went a few feet but was far and fast enough to send those that were standing too close flying in every direction. An instant later and those still standing could see an explosion within the barrier that soon covered the clearing in a cloud of smoke as the barrier finally collapsed.

The first one back on his feet, Inuyasha began calling out for Kagome as he made his way back to the center of the clearing; waving his hand around as he tried to clear the smoke. All around him, he could hear the others shouting for his best friend and his half-brother, but tuned them out as best as he could with his human ears. Certain he was now standing where the barrier had once been, Inuyasha twisted back and forth as he searched for any sign of either of them.

"Where are they?" he could hear Sango call out from somewhere behind him, but paid her no attention as he felt something under his feet. Worried he might have stepped on their fingers, Inuyasha stopped and waited for the last bit of smoke to clear. As it did, the object he had stepped on began to appear. "Is that the Shikon no Tama?" Sango asked, her voice heavy with the confusion they were all feeling.

"No," Inuyasha began as he reached down and picked up the small, pink jewel off of the ground. "This one's different," he insisted as he held it up for the others to see. 

* * *

AN: Well we've officially reached the end of another story. I thank everyone who stopped by to read and hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I do not know if I will get around to adding a bonus ending explaining what happens to the rest of the group, but if I do, I will simply add it to this story so you don't have to go searching for it. Kagome and Sesshoumaru's story, however, is done. This story started and ended with a barrier and the idea of them creating a new jewel is just too perfect to change, in my opinion.

For those wondering, I will be working on the sequel of the void now full time, sorry I'm behind on that one. And plan to pick back up Rewriting History as soon as I can get things down. Again hope you enjoy and to see you at my next story.


End file.
